X Men Evolution: Savage Legacy
by HMMaster
Summary: The New Mutants are gathering at the Xavier Institute, and another force at the bottom of the world is becoming more and more active. What will happen when these two teams meet? Has Ocs. Takes place between Season 1 and Season 2 of X-MEN: EVOLUTION REDUX.
1. Chapter 1: The Hand and the Heart

**As some of you may know, this fic takes place between Season One and Season Two of my other fic, X-Men: Evolution Redux. I am planning on this fic being a sort of introduction to the New Mutants, and there will be some excitement in later chapters. I hope you like!**

**Shout-Out to Spaceman for creating Masato Kimura, the first member of the New Mutants introduced. Hopefully all of you will like him!**

* * *

><p>Chapter One:<br>The Hand and the Heart

"They're coming after us, aren't they?" the boy asked, running for his dear life.

The woman nodded, barely audible over her labored breathing as they ran toward the parking garage. "Yes, they are."

The garage was only about fifty yards from the laboratory, but fifty yards is a long way when lives are in danger. The woman cursed under her breath that the boy was even involved in all of this. She knew she was to blame, and she was prepared to take him with her to the only place where she knew they might be safe.

Fleeing was not her favorite plan, but she had to do it for Masato's sake. If something happened to him, she would never be able to live with herself.

When she finally crossed the street, she turned and saw the three men following them, dressed in business suits so they could blend into the daylight. But she knew who they were, who they were behind the masks, and what they could do. They were part of something she didn't even know still existed, much less operated to assassinate others.

The scientist grabbed Masato's hand, and he squeezed it back appreciatively as they ran toward the entrance as quickly as they could.

"Keiko, are we going to get away in time?"

She chose not to answer, dragging him as fast she could to the nearest elevator. She pressed the button, but when nothing happened, she cursed again. "Come on, the stairs are over there."

But they didn't make it as one of the three men suddenly appeared in front of the door, seemingly dropping out of nowhere. She turned both of them around but found herself blocked on all sides by the three men, all of them smirking at them.

The woman groaned. Masato squeezed her hand before leaning toward the ground and placing his palm against the concrete. He felt the familiar feeling of something oozing over his skin, and when he pulled his hand away, his entire body was covered in a layer of what looked like black rock. His hair had turned from white to black, and was now pointing outward like a set of spiky quills on a porcupine.

"We're going to have to fight, Keiko," the boy said, definitely not a suggestion.

The man near the stairs looked at him with newfound interest. "So the kid does have some tricks."

"Let's see how many tricks he has left when the boss is through with him," said another.

Keiko squeezed his hand, ignoring the claws digging into her skin. "I know." She pressed the button on her watch and the hologram fell away, revealing her own strange appearance.

Masato had only seen it once, but she basically looked like she was wrapped in thin sheets of paper. She still retained the shape of a human, but inside and out her body was made of the paper-like substance. She had explained it to him the last time that he had to see it, but he couldn't remember exactly what she had said.

"Ah, so the chick has a few tricks too?" the third man said. "It doesn't really matter though." He slid out a sword from his back, concealed someone within his clothing. The other two did the same, revealing their ancient-style katanas with black edges that glinted in the light of the empty parking complex. "We have a few tricks too." He adeptly swung the blade through the air, and Masato would have been impressed if the men hadn't been trying to kill them.

Without warning, the man near the stairs rushed forward and swiped at Masato, who side-stepped the first strike and caught the second on the steel-hard skin of his forearm. The young boy grabbed the blade and spun, dropping the gasping man to his knees.

One of the other men tried to rush over to help, but Keiko waved her arm and unleashed a cloud of razor sharp paper kunai from the folds of her body. The last man laughed as the paper flew through the air, but he stopped when they embedded themselves in a concrete pillar.

The third man rushed the paper woman and arced his blade from overhead. The woman crossed her arms in defense and a wall of thick, dense paper jumped from the folds of her body and stopped the sword. The man was dumbstruck.

"How'd you do that? It's paper!"

"Not quite," the woman said, before morphing one arm into a sort of blade and slashing downward. The man tried to slice through it, but it held strong, even though it was as light as a feather. The assassin leapt backwards with near superhuman speed before he was slashed to bits.

Masato back-tracked, keeping his distance from the two close-hand combatants. He was trying to whip up a strategy against their swords, but even he wasn't that durable. One of them dashed forward and swiped at his feet, but instead, Masato crunched into a fist and jabbed the oncoming man in the gut. The man was helplessly tossed nearly thirty feet away and into an SUV, and his sword skittered across the concrete.

The other man was weary now of getting close to the boy. "If you know what is good for you, you'll leave. Right now," the young mutant tried.

Instead, the man rushed him and tried aiming directly for Masato's heart. Instead, he grabbed the blade with both hands and snapped it clean in half, shocking both conscious assassins. The distraction was enough for Keiko to slash into the man's chest, now sputtering blood, even though it wasn't a deep cut. Masato kneed the last man in the chest, rocketing the warrior into the ceiling of the parking deck and knocking him unconscious.

"Now, will you please leave us alone?" Keiko asked, her papery body folding back together like an unraveled origami figurine.

Without warning, the building was suddenly flooded with men, and a few women, all of them with the hard look of someone trained to kill. Neither mutant wanted to stick around to see if they could battle all of them, and Keiko grabbed Masato's hand for support.

"Can't you fly us out of here? I've seen you do your little wing trick."

"I could, but I can't carry a four-hundred pound mutant with me," she answered. "We're going to get through this, my little Stone-Heart."

The boy smiled. "Only with your help, Origami."

* * *

><p>Life at the Xavier Institute, despite what had recently happened on Asteroid M had never been more unexciting. Things were essentially just boring.<p>

Everyone settled into a routine. School was nearing its close, so not even homework could break the tedious afternoons. Xavier led the X-Men on training exercises, believing that it was important now more than ever to prepare for Magneto's next move. Not even the Danger Room could spice up the boring, and the Brotherhood had been too quiet lately.

"Geez, something needs to happen soon," Kris complained, his usual cynical self worried that he might explode as he laid there. "I'd almost consider heading into that video game again."

"It feels like PTSD or something," Alex murmured. "Well, PTSD with mutant powers."

"I almost miss Logan," Ava said, cringing at the thought as she stared bored at the television. "At least he found ways to make training interesting."

"Yeah, does anyone know when he'll be coming back?" asked Rivera, genuinely curious. "He's never left for this long before. And Ava, at least you don't have Logan for your triple sessions anymore."

"I guess that's a bright side, but Xavier is still strict," she said solemnly. "Of course, I am not complaining."

Alex could only shrug, dipping his hand into his bag of Cheetos. "Who knows when he'll be back? It could be weeks, possibly even a couple of months."

"Surely not," Dean said, very quietly from the corner of her book. "He'll be back soon, right?"

No one had an answer.

Until the doorbell rang.

"Is that him?" asked Alex, excitedly as the group stood at the front door.

"Why in the world would he ring the doorbell, Beam Boy?" Ava asked, looking at him incredulously. The others chuckled as they headed out to the foyer.

Storm and Xavier were just arriving, and the tall woman opened the door to reveal a tall, very thin Asian woman with an almost mousy appearance. She looked very sophisticated, with long black hair and square frame glasses over her eyes.

The boy behind her was almost obviously a mutant, or he was wearing some sort of contacts. His hair was frost white, almost the color of Storm's own hair, but his eyes were completely black and his skin was very tan. He too was of Asian descent, and Kris was practically dying to greet them.

Both were very nervous, almost looking as though something was going to jump out of the bushes to grab them. They kept looking over their shoulders in suspicion.

"May we help you?" asked Storm, but Xavier waved it off.

"Dr. Watahari, it is good to finally meet you in person, but I wish the circumstances were better," the telepath said, shaking the woman's hands. The woman then bowed in greeting, and everyone but Alex bowed as well; Kris jabbed him in the side and the energy converter awkwardly caught up and then blushed.

"Likewise," the woman said, the hint of a Japanese accent. She sounded exhausted, very worse for wear. "Xavier, they attacked us."

The bald man in a wheelchair stared ahead, a knowing look on his eyes as he scanned their recent memories. "Are you two all right?"

The woman nodded. "Yes. I fled to the States as soon as I could with Masato here. They've targeted us, Xavier. And if I had to guess, they might have followed us."

"Who might have followed you?" Ava asked, almost demanding.

The scientist cleared her throat. "The Hand."

* * *

><p>Xavier, Ororo, and Keiko headed into the main office, leaving the others to get acquainted. Xavier had a calm look on his face, but his eyes lied for him. He was utterly worried, as he had seen what these people could do in Logan's memories.<p>

"If only Logan were here," the white-haired woman said. "He could help, as he's seen these people before."

"Yes, he's the one with the claws, right?" Keiko asked.

The professor nodded. "Yes, he might know what to do."

"Why did they go after you?" Storm asked, her worry starting to take an effect on the sky outside, and rain clouds seemed to appear from nowhere.

She gestured to the door. "My research with Masato. They want to use me to recruit others like him into their ranks. I refused to let them use him, and the Hand were not happy."

"What exactly was this research?"

"It was standard mutant genetic research, stuff that I have been working on in secret for years, with Xavier's help." She turned to the professor. "If not for your letters, I might never have gotten very far or even started."

"Oh, I'm sure that's not true," Charles said, but the woman just shook off his words.

"No, really," the Japanese woman said with a smile. "I had never met a mutant in person, and when you helped me locate Masato, I was utterly grateful. I have been trying to create a mutant antibody that can fight off illnesses, but I haven't made any breakthroughs."

"So they want this antibody?" asked Storm, interested.

"Maybe. I don't know, I just think the Hand wants us in order to find other mutants, and turn as all into ninja robots."

"Well, so what do you think we should do, Charles?" asked Ororo, a pure deluge outside now. The rain rhythmically danced on the roof.

He sat with his hands folded together, watching the weather. "I think that we should offer protection. I'm not certain if I like the idea of the students being exposed to such dangerous conditions, but we're the best place you can go. Maybe you might even stay here, since it would certainly help with your research. What do you think?"

Keiko smiled. "Don't you already know what I'm thinking?"

Xavier grinned. "Only if you're projecting."

"I think it's a good idea. I'm sure that with all the firepower here that this would be the best place, but are you really going to let the students get involved? Is that the best plan?"

"Not unless it becomes necessary," Xavier said. "The outside defenses have never been better, and the inside defenses can be activated if anyone was to break inside. With Storm, you, and I in the front lines and the students on the sidelines, how can we go wrong?"

"I like that attitude," Keiko said, grinning.

* * *

><p>Back in the den, Masato was sitting on the couch with all the other students surrounding him, and Kris was on his direct right.<p>

"So Masato, how are you?" Ava asked, patting his shoulder. The boy just shrugged it off.

"I'm fine." The amaranth-streaked girl peered at his coldness.

"Are you sure?" Rivera asked. "I'm sure that we can help you with whatever goes wrong."

"Yeah, what she said," Alex added.

"We're here for you," Grant explained, a small but encouraging smile on his face.

"Exactly," Kris said with a jab to the ribs.

The Japanese boy sucked in his breath and then exhaled calmly. "Listen, I'm grateful and everything, but I'm not really the buddy-buddy type." He stood up from the couch and looked around, deciding to go find anywhere else to be but here.

He headed down the hall, not really caring where his feet took him. He was exhausted and in a completely strange place with completely strange people. Annoying people, in a way. They almost had some weird sense of seniority over him, even though the youngest was only a year older than him. Sure, he was younger, but far more mature than at least half of those people. The only one he liked was the girl who never talked, and he wasn't sure if she even could talk.

He sighed as he found another room, a sort of dining room. He sat at the table and felt it creak under his four-hundred pound body. One of the disadvantages of his powers, even without his armor active.

He thought back to his family, whom Keiko and he had contacted on the way here. After a long conversation about coming here to the Institute for protection, he shared a tearful goodbye with them on the telephone, but no one in his family except his sister Masami cried like he did. Keiko comforted him as best she could, but not knowing when he could return to them was horrible.

And what was the deal with this place anyway? Mutants living together to one day create a utopian society where mutants could live in peace alongside humans? If racism and homophobia were any indication of how mutants would be treated, they'd never have a chance. Keiko had shared her opinion with him about the manner, and she leaned more toward an upcoming war, but she believed that Xavier was the best bet to prevent it.

Why can't they settle for what they know now? Or, in this case, what humans _didn't_ know now. The mutant secret was going to come out sooner or later, but if Masato had to bet, it would be later. Maybe it was blind hope, but he wasn't ready to walk through a park and get insulted or denied his favorite food at a restaurant.

He sat there for a good thirty minutes, thinking over all the questions and problems he was facing right now. When the door finally opened and revealed the orange-haired boy named Kris, he nearly groaned.

"Hey, sorry to bother you. Do you want to come see your room?" he asked.

_My room?_ He hadn't even thought of that, but he stood and stretched and then followed the other Japanese boy.

"So what exactly happened?" Kris asked. When Masato ignored him, Kris sighed and redirected his question. "So what's your power?"

Masato sighed, nearly turning around and leaving him. He was really not feeling like questions, and the jet lag was starting to catch up with him. "I am a terra-kinetic energy absorber. Or at least that's what Keiko calls it."

Kris was dumb-founded. "And that means…?"

The newcomer frowned. "I can touch the ground or anything made from stone and absorb energy from it, turning my skin black and stone hard. I'm strong enough to life a few tons and I can endure most hits."

"A few tons?" Kris exclaimed. "That's amazing!"

Masato only shrugged as they ascended the stairs to the second floor, where the boys' rooms were.

"I can supercharge mutants by touching them and absorb any kind of energy-based attack and then redirect it at double the power," Kris explained proudly. "They call me Sparkplug."

Masato almost laughed at the name, but tried to keep his composure. He didn't want to be plain mean. "Stone-Heart is what Keiko has always called me."

"That's cool. What exactly are Keiko's powers anyway?"

"She calls it paper mimicry, but it has a whole bunch of other things tagged onto it. Her entire body is made of strips of something that looks and feels like paper. She wears an image inducer wrist watch to hide it."

"Grant has one of those," said Kris, eyes widening. "In fact, he invented it, so how does she have one?"

"I think she actually built her own model of it then, and maybe Grant's name for it rubbed off on her in her letters with Xavier," he explained, shrugging.

"He's actually got gold skin, and he and his brain named his power malleability, which lets him stretch and mold his body," Kris explained.

Masato just nodded as they came up to a door at the end of the hall. The room was very simple, but very spacious, enough to house another student if it needed to. It had all the regular accoutrements like a bed, a dresser, a desk, and a closet, and it was decorated like the rest of the mansion: very eloquently. He plopped down onto the bed, and it lurched slightly, almost like it was screaming in pain when his heavy body landed on it. But it held just the same, thankfully.

"All right, I'll let you get settled in," Kris said awkwardly. "Dinner's on the table in thirty minutes."

He didn't answer and just stared up at the ceiling fan, and he couldn't tell how many times he had counted the five fan blades. Kris had really hit him when he said, "settled in." He didn't have any of his things, like his Consadole Sapporo jacket or his book collection. Maybe Xavier could arrange for them to be shipped to America.

He drifted off soon after laying down, not even bothering to undress first. If his dream self was aware, he was happy no one woke him up for dinner.

* * *

><p>Late that night, everyone in the Institute woke up to the sound of the alarms going off, and Masato lurched awake. He ran to his window, where he could see the front yard. It was covered with turrets and cannons firing blasts of energy and ball nets, and it took a very trained eye to see the Hand ninja down below. They were still at the edge of the yard, and the defenses seemed to slow them down to a steady crawl.<p>

"_Everyone, remain calm and meet me downstairs in the Danger Room. Masato, follow Kris and he'll show you to the lower levels." _The voice was of Xavier, and he wasn't sure how he liked having a telepath in his head.

He opened his door and was surprised to see Kris in bright orange pajamas. Before he could say any disparaging remarks, the other Japanese boy beckoned him to come.

"It's the Hand! We've got to get downstairs!" he said, trying to pull the stone boy faster but the weight was slowing him down.

It only took a moment to reach the elevator, where the other students were already waiting. Rivera had her hair sticking out in about a thousand places, Dean had gray circles under her eyes, and Alex had so many eye-boogers that it would make your head hurt. Grant hadn't bothered to grab his image inducer, so he was reflecting the light of the elevator off of his too-metallic skin. Ava looked the worst though, as she had drool hanging from her lips and her hair was so messed up that Rivera's looked styled.

"Guys, we need to suit up quickly," Ava said, going into leader mode as she tried to flatten her hair. "You have exactly three minutes to be in the Danger Room before anyone can get skewered by a katana. Any questions?"

Masato could see why she commanded respect.

He marveled at the lower levels, which were very high tech. The walls were lined with pipes and wires, but it was all very impressive. The hangar was on one side, and although he wanted to see the jet, they didn't have time.

He and the other guys headed into the male locker room and changed into their uniforms, and Masato didn't know what to put on. Alex was in a green and black leather jacket with a spandex suit underneath, Kris had on an orange and black skin-tight suit, and Grant was wearing a sleeveless yellow and black suit.

"Here, just grab one of the spares," Alex said, pulling out an all black uniform with yellow gloves, belt, and boots. "Hurry."

Embarrassing changing scene later, they finally got into the Danger Room, a large circular room made of metal. Xavier was on one side of the room, but Storm and Origami were not anywhere in sight.

"Where are the others?" asked Ava as they joined Xavier and the room sealed itself off.

"They are trying to stop the Hand from ever getting close. I am in constant contact with them, and they are doing well with the automated defenses on their side. The Hand still hasn't breached the inside of mansion," explained Xavier.

"We should help them," Ava tried, but the professor shook his head.

"No. The Hand is dangerous, too dangerous for you to get directly involved. If the time comes and you are needed, they will have to come here first."

No one wanted to accept that answer, but even Masato knew the merits behind the decision. Keiko could handle herself though, that much he knew.

* * *

><p>The weather witch took an air position and the paper lady stood in front of the front door. They had sealed off all the other entrances, and the only way the Hand could get in is through the front foyer. Storm had asked why they didn't just close off all the doors, but Xavier said that the Hand needs to be dealt with. By allowing one entrance, they were allowing the Hand to try to continue their mission so the mutants could finish them off.<p>

The first wave approached silently but swiftly, and the automated turrets kicked in and began blasting towards the stealthy targets, and flying saws were only stopped by the slashing of katanas.

Storm created a thunderstorm to boost her usual lightning and began blasting the entire front of the area with electricity, and it stalled anyone who managed to get through the first line of turrets. She hurled winds that pressed the Hand members backwards and small vortexes lifted trees off of their roots and headed straight toward the ninjas, who didn't know what to think of the weather witch.

"At this rate, there won't be any left!" Origami called up, and that's when the first ninja snuck up to her. She turned at the last moment and caught his kunai with a small paper shield and then pushed him backward, throwing him a few feet away. Another popped up on the other side, and she threw paper chains from her arms and ensnared the enemy on the ground.

"You aren't doing so bad yourself," Storm said as she blew back the next few that approached, but their sheer number was beginning to shock and amaze them both.

A sudden cloud of thirty ninja began rushing from all sides, and not even a lightning storm could stop them. They continued their approach, some getting taken down but others avoiding the tempest. Origami waved her arms and paper kunai flew out to meet a few of them in the stomach, but they kept coming. And not only that, but others were coming as back up, and the two mutants knew what they had to do.

"Get inside!" Storm yelled, creating a huge cylinder network of lightning around them in a semi-circle, stopping the enemy momentarily. She touched down and fled inside with Keiko, never skipping a beat.

Ororo created such strong winds that the smoke bomb one of the ninja tried to detonate was forced from his hand and landed harmlessly in the fountain outside. The sheer wall of wind was so impeding that no one could venture much closer without being knocked off their feet. Keiko took the chance and threw out her arms, throwing small paper logs out and slamming the crowded group, knocking a majority of them in the legs.

"I didn't realize the Hand was so extensive," exclaimed Ororo, her concentration fading. "Logan never mentioned their sheer numbers."

"Me neither," Keiko muttered as hurled more paper daggers and stopped a few of them from moving.

To their shock, Storm's winds and lightning suddenly died down and the Hand began to flood the room. Origami tried her best to defend both her and the exhausted Storm, but it was obvious that they were about to be overpowered. She held out a shield wall in front of her, blocking off the paths and allowing her to grab the weather witch and hold her around the waist. They slowly walked backwards, together, and she reinforced the shield with more of her own body when she needed to, and kept it as sharp and dense as possible. Soon enough, they were at the elevator, and Keiko began to retract the paper shield and pulled it back into the folds of her body as soon as the doors revolved shut.

Origami relaxed a bit, and Storm held up her hand and pressed a code into the elevator's pad. It began to glide down the ropes and into the lower levels. When it finally stopped on the Danger Room level, she pressed another button and the elevator locked.

"It won't stop them, but it will buy us some time," the mutant said, exhausted.

"Good. Let's get to the Danger Room."

* * *

><p>"They're coming!" Rivera said, worried, but when the doors opened, it was just Storm and Origami. The two women were exhausted, and neither was sure how long it would take for the ninjas to catch up with them.<p>

"All right, everyone get ready," Ava said, helping Storm and Origami to get behind them. The X-Men stood in front of Xavier and the two harmed women, almost like a semi-circle. Masato didn't know where he fit into it. The team already knew how to work together, and they seemed so easy-going around each-other.

When the door was blown open by a katana slashing the controls, it seemed like thirty to fifty ninja were waiting to get inside. The mutants watched with surprise as they seemed to form up, and a very tall, very large man walked in. He looked like he was their leader, except with silver styling on the robes. His katana was already unsheathed, and he stared ahead.

"We will capture you all, if we have to," the man said, his long dark hair ringing his face. "All the more mutants to join our cause."

"We'll never join you!" Alex yelled, his hands charging with green energy.

"Oh? I have always wanted to test just how persuasive I can be," the man said, raising his sword, and the entire group seemed to get into position.

Masato suddenly stepped forward, right in front of everyone. "You are supposed to follow a code of honor."

"And your point?"

"Well, I challenge you, and only you, to a sword fight. No powers, no gimmicks, and no help from either side. Just me and you and our blades," Masato said. "Single combat. If you win, you can try to take us and do with us what you will. If I win, you have to leave and never bother us again."

The man considered it, and after a long moment, he grabbed a sword from one of the nearest Hand assassins and threw it, sheath and all, across the room. Masato caught it adeptly, and he silently prayed that all those hours of practicing with his grandfather would pay off.

"I agree. Let's do this," the man said, bowing before him.

Masato bowed in return.

"You aren't seriously going to do this, are you?" asked Ava, concerned. "We can help you."

"No, you can't. I brought this upon you, and I will end it."

The two combatants met in the middle and bowed again, and immediately began to circle each other, giving each other taunting looks. Masato kept his training in mind, not thinking too much and yet at the same time, he was analyzing the assassin's every move.

The man made the first move, striking at Masato's left side. The young boy barely parried the blow and then swung the blades around in an arc, before flicking up and jabbing at the man's chest.

Their blades met in the middle with a _clang_, and neither wanted to back down. It became a battle of strength, and despite the natural added weight of Masato's powers, it wasn't helping much here.

Masato was the first to break away and he had to back-step to evade the strike, and then arc toward the man's underarm. The mutant took the first blood, and the cut on the Hand leader's arm was not deep but enough to give the boy a proud feeling.

The man was not happy and began brandishing his katana adeptly, and it was all the boy could to block each strike while taking a step back each time. Each pound of metal against metal wore the opponents down, and the sound was enough to make their ears ring. But they continued their blade dance, each occasionally overtaking the other.

Without warning, their blades met and locked, and the man slammed his shoulder into Masato's with enough force to knock the four-hundred pound mutant to the ground. Masato heard someone from the X-Men complaining about the low blow. He swung the blade down, but the metal floor took the strike as the boy rolled away and then jabbed out, slicing through the man's calf muscle and leaving a deep gash that spewed blood on the floor.

Masato took the opportunity to stand quickly and swung his blade toward the man, but the enemy parried the blow and then slid his blade down the length of the Japanese boy's sword, and sliced right into his sword arm. Masato clutched it with the other hand and nearly dropped the ground from wincing.

"You're mine now," the man said, before swinging his sword right at Masato's unarmed side.

The mutant was never sure how it happened, but he felt a sudden surge of strength and he swung his injured arm in the direction of the oncoming attack and sliced right through the man's hand, and the Hand member's hand and sword fell to the ground in a puddle of blood.

The man refused to scream, but he was wincing as he tried to cover the wound with his shirt. One of his other Hand members stepped forward and put pressure on the wound to keep from bleeding out.

"By your honor, if you refuse to accept the arrangements of our agreement, I will ensure that you go back to Japan in shame," Masato said, feeling no remorse for what he had done. He could still hear the other mutants gasping, and Rivera was practically hyperventilating. Blood was not her forte, apparently.

The Hand leader nodded, grabbing his now useless hand, and the group began to file out of the room. But before the leader left, Dean ran up to him. Everyone stared at her in amazement.

"I can't refuse your hand to your arm," the Inuit girl said. "But I can do this. Stop the bleeding and clot over the wound, and then form a scab." She added a few more details, and before the man knew it, he had a rather thick layer of scab tissue over the place where his wrist once was. The bleeding did stop, but Masato looked at her like she was crazy.

"What did you do that for?"

"It was the right thing to do," she said as she returned to the group.

Masato looked at her incredulously, but as the Hand members fled from the scene, he was suddenly grateful.

"Well at least that is over," he said as he returned to the group. Dean headed over him and offered to heal his arm, but he shook his head. "I'd rather have a scar."

The others congratulated him, and everyone praised him. Kris begged him to teach him those sword moves, and Rivera wanted to know where she could get some of that natural talent for fighting. Grant was busy trying to calculate how much advantage the man's size should have given him, and he even factored in how much the boy weighed and wondered if the extra weight behind the swings evened the odds. Alex joked with him and asked what he would have to eat to get half as strong as he was, and Ava clapped him on the back and praised "the little runt" for saving the day, and Masato wondered how she could call him that when she was two inches shorter than him.

"Excellent job," Xavier said. "I never doubted you for a minute."

"Well, that's good," he said, looking from him to Storm and to Keiko. "Are you ready to head home?"

Keiko frowned and looked toward Xavier. "Well, I was actually going to stay here and help teach the others, and maybe study some under the professor. If you'd like to go home, I'm sure that we could arrange a flight."

"Although, I'd like to add that I welcome you here whole-heartedly. Your invitation will not expire either," added the telepath, smiling.

The students decided to add in their encouragement for him to stay, and he began to see them more as friends than strangers. They actually liked him, somehow. Maybe liked was a strong word, but they definitely respected him. After that bout, how could anyone not?

"On one condition," Stone-Heart said, smirking a little, "you have to arrange for all of my belongings to be sent, especially my books and my favorite jacket."

Xavier smiled. "Of course. I'll call in the morning. Welcome to the Institute, our newest student and our newest teacher."

Everyone cheered, but Masato's stomach growled from missing dinner. "Any chance there's some food around here?"

Alex grinned and put his hand about the white-haired boy's shoulders as they headed back up to the upper levels. "I think we're going to get along just fine."

* * *

><p><strong>How was it? Please review. I would really like to know what you think! Oh, and did you like the irony about the Hand leader...losing...his hand? It makes me giggle, to be quite honest.<strong>

**The Hand ninjas are not the main enemy of this fic, just a one-time appearance (but they might show up again much , much later in Redux). I did not name any of them on purpose. **

**I have everything from the recruitment chapters to the final battle planned out, and I'm thinking that it might be roughly eight or ten chapters long, twelve at the most. I've already got a few chapters written, so it should only be a matter of time before I get back to Redux. Sorry about the wait, but I think you will really like this fic overall. **


	2. Chapter 2: A Mutant Mojo

Chapter Two:  
>A Mutant Mojo<p>

The boy leapt to the side, feeling the searing heat from the dragon's flames at his back. He took a small moment to breathe and then lurched out of way, just in time to evade the creature's spiked tail.

A fireball was launched toward him, but he held up his left arm and a large, full body shield made of purple energy appeared out of nowhere. The fire collided with it, but the shield was enough to block the heat. He pressed forward along the stream of flames, getting closer and closer to the source step by step.

The dragon roared, so close that he could barely hear from the intensity of the cry. He formed a leaf-shaped purple energy blade in his right hand and dashed toward the creature. He dug into the giant front leg before the dragon swiped its tail in his direction, and he was lucky when the tail bounced off of the light armor he was wearing over his blue spandex suit.

The boy jumped up onto the creature, leaving the sword stuck in the creature's leg to weaken it somehow. The dragon twisted its neck and blasted a jet of fire, but the full-body shield worked wonders a second time. The monster bucked, trying to knock him off, but it was too late.

The boy held out one arm and formed a purple spear, a long and very sharp one, and drove it into the dragon's wing. It screeched loudly and bucked harder, but the spear was cut loose only to dive right into the neck of the beast.

The crowd went wild as his purple energy weapons faded. The creature's body went slack and dropped to the ground, and he knew it had died. But he didn't feel like celebrating. He touched the collar around his neck and wished that he could escape.

"And the undefeated Spartan wins again! Can anyone or anything match his amazing skills? Longshot, you had better watch your back," the voice that the boy hated more than anything in the world said. He looked up to see the tall blond teenager standing on a balcony, watching over the fight. Behind him, behind a very thick glass window, was the host and announcer of the bout, Mojo. The boy shuddered at the memory of what he looked like.

Two guards arrived at the bottom of the field and he took that as his cue to leave. He turned to see the dragon being cleaned up by a crew of strange looking humanoids, and he frowned as he realized that he had just defeated and killed another creature.

The two guards escorted him to the locker room. He got out of his armor as quickly as he could and changed into a simple linen outfit that reminded him of prison clothes. Of course, it was practically a prison anyway. The kitchens were nearby, so he followed the guards to the kitchen where he hoped there was something more than slop.

There never was though.

After getting his quick meal, he headed to the table where he usually sat, and a few people clapped him on the back with a job well done. The boy didn't feel like enjoying anything at this point.

"Reese!" he heard a familiar voice call out. The black mutant he had come to know so well sat in the seat, his own food tray a little fuller than his own. "I heard you won your bout."

"Yeah, I guess I got lucky," the boy said, smiling. "Aug, do you think Mojo will keep up his end of the deal?"

Augustus Evans raised an eyebrow. "Of course not." He leaned in and lowered his voice. "He's a coward who likes mind games."

"Maybe, but I have been missing home, wherever that may be. I've only got a few more wins to pack into the quota, and maybe I can figure out where I am from."

Aug frowned. "Well, at least you aren't like me. I can't win anything."

Reese was about to argue with him, but the sudden slam against the table made them both look up. A guard was looking down at us, his body very human. Which wasn't normal for Mojo's kind of people. "Spartan, you're needed in the main office. Mojo wants to see you."

He would have groaned, but he had seen what those uniformed guards could do with their rifles, and he didn't want to risk it. Aug shared a worried look with him, but Reese just shrugged and followed the guard. Whereto, he didn't want to know, but he knew he couldn't disobey Mojo.

* * *

><p>Masato stood at the ready, his powers covering his entire body with black stone. He looked up for a moment, seeing the others in the circular command center above the metallic training zone. Origami gave him an encouraging nod and then went to the controls.<p>

"Session, initiated," said a female computerized voice. "Holographic projection initialized."

Stone-Heart watched in awe as the machine projected an image of a lake surrounded by beaches. A line of trees surrounded the circular lake, and he wondered if that was where the wall of the Danger Room began. Sunlight streamed through the sky and warmed the back of his neck, and the sound of waves and birds was obvious.

A wooden platform led across the water and the objective looked simple enough: grab the white flag on the other side emblazoned with an X.

He didn't see what was so hard about it, but if his other experiences in the Danger Room were any indication, his first solo-session after two weeks of being part of the Institute would be no different. He crept along the beach, expecting a turret to spring out of nowhere and blast him to smithereens. When he first got to the wooden bridge, he touched it lightly with his toe and deemed it normal. Once his full weight was on it, he heard a slight creaking, but it held. He walked slowly across, alert for something weird to happen.

He got about half-way when the waves got more treacherous. He began to feel something brewing, something that could quite possibly be bad.

Suddenly, there was a screech and three tentacles that looked like a squid, complete with suction cups and slime, splashed out of the water and snapped at the mutant.

He dashed ahead, trying to get to the flag before one of them could grab him. He managed to get to the three-fourths mark before one of them lashed out at him. He spun and slashed it with his enhanced fingernails, cutting through some of its flesh.

Let's just say that it wasn't happy.

The monster leapt out of the water and he got a good look at it. It was a squid monster, and was rather large to just be a projection/robotic creature. Its tentacles, which were now six, fanned out and began waving like flames. Masato leapt out of the way as two of the tentacles came at him from both sides and then grabbed a third. Using his enhanced strength, he yanked as hard as he could but only partially lifted the creature out of the water before its slime made it impossible to grab.

It's remaining tentacles managed to grab him around the ankles and arms, and soon enough, he was being held in front of the creature high in the air, directly over the creature's enormous head.

He struggled as best he could, trying to break free. The monster suddenly loosened its hold and Masato took every advantage that he could. He jumped out and landed like a heavy weight right on the monster's head, knocking it deep into the water. Masato quickly used the squid as a platform and jumped backwards, splashing right next to the platform. He pulled himself out of the water and rushed as best he could, heading right toward the flag. He smiled brightly when his hands touched the flagpole, and the hologram dissipated like a fog. Surprisingly, he was still wet, like he had been soaked. How they reproduced this with a hologram, no one knew.

"Excellent job on your first solo-session," Xavier said. "That was very resourceful, using your weight like that. You weren't exactly against an opponent where your powers gave you an advantage, so that was a good call."

"Well, I'm not sure if I will ever see good 'ole Nessie again in real life," he said coolly, while also teasing the people from the Southern US.

"It was a good session," Origami said. "I think it showed that you are growing."

Masato could only shrug.

* * *

><p>Reese was escorted by the two guards, one human and the other...not. It was hard to tell with the uniform, but the boy could tell that the guard was some kind of lizard hybrid. He had no idea if it was a mutant or an alien or something else entirely. And the claw on his arm with green scaly skin definitely screamed "not human."<p>

They headed through the halls of the base, hidden somewhere he couldn't possibly name. For all he knew, he could be on the moon. Or in another galaxy.

It was high-tech. Force field cell doors charged with electricity, plasma cannons trained on almost everyone at all times, and the computers were so fast that they could probably beat any computer he had ever owned. Well, assuming that he had owned one back on Earth. He couldn't remember.

Video screens that were essentially holograms were on display everywhere, showing highlights from the day's bouts. Warriors and super-powered beings from all over the known dimensions were gathered to fight each other for Mojo's amusement. And pocketbooks. Apparently, it was broadcast as some kind of entertaining gladiator program.

As sick as it was to be a part of it, if he were on the outside looking in, it would probably be the best action series ever created to Reese. There were so many great fights, he just wished that he wasn't part of them.

They finally came upon another door, a circular shaped door made entirely of clear energy. Beyond it was Mojo's office/cesspool. The lizard guard pulled out a card and swiped it through a pad on the left of the door, which made it fade away. The other guard shoved him through with surprising force, and Reese wondered if that human was a mutant or just really strong.

Mojo turned around at the sound of the door reappearing. Reese almost felt the bile rise into his throat when he saw the creature. Mojo was almost like a tan blob of some kind of skin/fat/goop/etc, sitting in a hovering circular metal disc. The monster had very thin, tiny arms and long curvy fingernails, and the chest was very saggy. The face was almost the worse part, with crazy looking eyes and very square and very spread out teeth. The creepiness and disgust was like an overflowing aura.

"Ah, Spartan," the creature said, clicking its long fingernails between the shock collar activation device. "Another win for your record books, huh?"

Reese just shrugged.

"Oh, but you're too modest!" the host of the bouts said, floating toward him. Reese didn't dare back away with that button in his hands. "You really are quite the specimen. You've served your planet well, and I hope you shall continue to do so." A moment paused, and when the boy didn't comment, Mojo leaned forward like some kind of blob and looked at him in the eye. "I believe I deserve some praise for that comment." He raised the device, and Reese groaned before thanking him. "Now, was that so hard? Kids and their manners these days."

Spartan felt his hands begin to glow just a little, and he quickly deactivated it before he did something stupid.

"Okay, I do believe that that win makes number fourteen. And by my count, you have one more to go," explained Mojo. Reese's eyes brightened, realizing that he must be counting the time that he fought to opponents at the same time, even though they were a little on the weak side. The mutant had only been considering that as one win. "You like that, huh? Good. Because if you can win one more battle, I'll let you go."

Spartan felt the anticipation grabbing at him. "Just like that? You'll send me home?"

Mojo nodded. "Yep. I'm a Mojo of my word. Now scram, kid. Get out of my sight."

Spartan left Mojo's office that moment feeling disgustingly happy and ready for anything.

* * *

><p>Aug stepped onto the battlefield, completely unprepared to fight. He didn't even know that he was going into the arena today, but at least it was against an opponent he might actually be able to win against.<p>

It was an alien centaur girl who specialized in long-range battles, and her bow was strung across her back. This could be very interesting, the boy thought. He frowned though when he thought about how many other times he had lost. He would need a fifth limb to count them.

"In one corner, we have the amazing Centauria! And in the other corner, we have Spindle! This is your chance to catch up, Spindle!" the voice of Mojo said.

The fight began, and Aug's opponent had no hesitation. She drew her bow and galloped forward, right near him.

The boy held out his arms and began to spin, soon spinning at an incredibly fast rate. The sheer pull yanked the half-horse alien from its path a few feet, before the girl shrieked and lunged at him. He stopped spinning and rolled to one side, right out of the way of the girl's stomping feet.

He cleared the distance between them and spun hard, smacking the girl repeatedly by his very fast fists. After a few seconds, the half-horse slammed into his body, exploiting his major weakness: motion.

Aug swirled around like a tornado, his body twisting and turning as he tried to stop. He was immediately off balance, and he just kept going. He remembered the last time that he tried to move while spinning, and it had taken him right into a brick wall. And the very first time he used his powers, it had ended with a splash of lake water.

Soon enough, the wall caught up with him, and the crowd exhaled as he smashed against it and fell into a heap. He would have taken a moment to rest, but the centaur girl was not going to let it happen.

She tried another tactic, dashing backward a few feet. She raised her bow as Augustus stood, and he smirked, thinking that now was the time. She notched the arrow and aimed high, and soon enough, the arrow was hurtling through the air at him.

Spindle spun. The mutant's name had a simple meaning. The arrow was caught by the pull of the mini vortex, arced around him, and then sped back through the air at the opponent. The arrow sprouted from the girl's shoulder and she screamed and collapsed.

Aug was all smiles. He had actually won! His first match in who knows how long. Mojo announced the end and Centauria was hauled off by the guards. Spindle couldn't wait to rush over and tell Reese!

He shuddered when he realized that he was excited about hurting someone's shoulder. He tried to shake himself off and regain his composure, but the crowd was pleased with him.

This entire show is sick.

The guards came forward to show him away, some kind of lizard man and a jellyfish freak. Don't ask how a humanoid jellyfish was born.

As they walked through the halls, Augustus kept an open eye and ear. The guards were discussing where to meet the newest guard, some woman. Already, the mutant was intrigued, but it was the next bit that surprised him.

"Yeah, she arrived here on the portal this morning," the jellyfish head said. "The west station people said she was gorgeous."

_Portal? West station? _Aug wondered what that could mean. He shuddered to think of what their definition of "gorgeous" was.

* * *

><p>The next day, Reese was scheduled for his next match, but the opponent was shadowed on the screens. Who could he be fighting?<p>

He sat down on the usual place at the lunch table. Aug was already there, still excited after his victory. Reese had told him earlier that it wasn't as big of a deal as he was thinking, but Reese didn't know what it was like to lose repeatedly. Sure, he had lost several, but it was never in the span of time that Aug had to deal with. To the crowd, the rotating mutant had almost become a joke.

"Still basking in the glow of your own awesomeness?" Reese joked, grinning as he shoveled food into his mouth. He was running late and had to hurry.

"Is it wrong to say that I am?"

"Completely," Reese answered, not skipping a beat. "But don't dwell on it too much. It's putting you one more step closer to home."

"That's true," the other said. "I just wish that we could remember where home is. I don't remember much about Earth."

"Same here. Wish me luck," Reese said, finishing his slop.

"Oh, you've got a fight today?" Aug asked, hoping that he would have time to watch it.

The energy construct generator nodded. "Yeah."

"Well, I'm hoping that you win. It'll be your last one, right?" Aug asked, a slightly disappointed expression on his face. He also looked like he wanted to say something else, and he had the look of some kind of discovery in his eyes.

"Yeah, if things go well," Reese said, not thinking about goodbye. The other boy could only frown, but then tried to put on a good face. Reese just nodded simply, waving as he headed over to the guards to let them escort him to the arena.

The arena was packed. Reese wondered why, as it was never this packed unless for a special occasion. Was his match to freedom really that big of a deal?

He drank a sip of water and then stretched, wanting to get this over with. He donned his blue armored-uniform and smiled from the room known as the "dugout."

"Would the combatants please come forward?" Mojo said over the intercom, jarring Reese from his internal reverie. Whomever his opponent was, the last one was bound to be tough.

He headed onto the field and tried to calm himself down. The pre-bout jitters were always rough, but he managed to tone it down.

Reese was too busy trying to prepare for the fight that he almost missed his opponent's introduction. "The Lost Messiah, the Lucky One, I proudly give you, Longshot!" Mojo said in his sniveling voice. Reese's throat almost choked itself when he looked up and locked eyes with his enemy.

He was dressed in dark green skin-tight armor with a belt of bullets wrapped around his torso. He had long blond hair and the glowing yellow eye was hard not to notice. A plasma rifle was attached to his back, and a bright yellow symbol was etched onto his chest.

"And opposite the undefeated amazing champion is the powerful and skilled Spartan! Let's give him a round of applause for getting to this point!"

That was more like an applause for his funeral.

Longshot gave him an almost sympathetic look, and Reese just peered at him with confusion. The boy almost wanted to ask what that was for.

"Let the fight begin!"

Longshot, despite his misgivings, rushed forward with a surprising speed and agility. Spartan only just put up an energy shield in time before the man's fist collided with it. The boy tried to shove him off, but as he moved forward, he nearly tripped.

Was that the probability power working against him? Longshot was famed for being able to unintentionally make lucky things happen for him, and Reese wondered if that were true.

The other man twisted around and smacked the black-haired boy in the face hard, throwing him several feet away. _There's the super-strength_, Reese thought bitterly as he pulled himself up, jaw throbbing.

Longshot pulled out his rifle, an impressive bluish-black model. He fired it several times, green energy flowing toward him. Reese held up a full-body purple shield looking almost like a police riot shield, and the blasts hit it, but thankfully it held. For the first couple shots. When the third and fourth hit, noticeable cracks appeared and Spartan began to get worried.

He lunged to the side, rolling and dissipating the shield, only to bring up a smaller one and a short sword. Another plasma bolt shot but Spartan jumped upwards and angled his sword down, Leonidas-style. His opponent twisted, dodging the strike and then flipped around so that he was standing behind Reese with his arms and legs bound. He flipped the boy to the ground and held his elbows straight up, threatening to pop them out of place.

"I can get you out of here," the man whispered, nearly inaudible.

Yeah, like he was going to trust the guy holding him to the ground, threatening to hurt him.

"I know a way out, and I can get you out of here and back to your world," Longshot tried again, disguising it with several grunts so that the speakers might not pick it up.

"I'm…listening," Reese tried, grunting as the opponent yanked on his arms to put on a show.

Longshot whispered instructions in his ear. Halfway through it, Reese whispered, "If you're really gonna get me out, my friend Aug is coming with me." Longshot nodded and promised that he would get the other boy out too.

When that was done, Longshot gave him the cue. He screamed in pain and then cried out for everything to be over. Mojo took that as a surrender and cued the guards to pick him up. The crowd went wild for the victor, and Reese wondered if trusting Longshot was the worst mistake he had ever made.

* * *

><p>The guards deposited him in the locker room and stood outside of it so that he could change out of his uniform. He rubbed his aching arms and then thought over what he was supposed to do.<p>

Right there in the locker room was a disguised service compartment that led to the boiler room. He found the section of wall where it was hidden and knocked lightly on the right side, and a flap of wall slid away. He pulled on the door handle, but when it didn't come undone, he frowned. A simple purple lock-pick appeared in his hands, and he fumbled with the lock until it clicked open and the compartment door swung open.

He covered the entrance with the wall flap and then shimmied down the ladder, not caring how far it was. He just wanted to get out of there.

After a brutal ten minutes of silent crawling, he prayed that Longshot could have distracted the guards long enough so that every alarm in the place wasn't going off. So far so good.

He finally got to the bottom, where the room was so hot that it was making him sweat like a mad dog. The boiler was nearby, a large machine that probably heated the whole base. Longshot was supposed to meet him here after a while, and after several long, hard moments, the door finally opened and revealed the blond man.

"Come on, this way. The service portal is two floors up, but the guards are more lax down here," explained Longshot, guiding them out of the room.

"Where's Aug?" Reese asked.

"I gave him different instructions to meet us there," the man replied. "He'll be there, don't worry."

The adrenaline was pumping, and he desperately wanted out of here. Reese was tired of Mojo controlling him. Making him fight. He was just glad that Longshot was helping them out.

They got to the first service access ladder that led up to the next floor. Longshot headed up the ladder first, keeping a vigilant glowing eye for anything strange.

They both got to the top without a hitch, but now they were on a more thoroughly traveled route. The guards would be near, Reese was sure of it. And when the first one showed up, a quick jab to the guard's throat before the guard even knew they were there left the man completely motionless. Longshot dragged him into a corner and headed back toward the next ladder.

"We've gotta hurry. It won't take long for them to notice something is up," Longshot said warily, beckoning Reese along.

Once they were on the next floor, the realization that the portal home was very close hit him. He was nearly there, and he could almost taste it.

That's when another group of guards appeared, and Longshot promptly yanked them out of sight around a corner.

"On the count of three, we run out there and fight," he said, looking at Reese earnestly.

"But what about the collars?"

"Let's just say that Mojo is encountering a bit of bad luck, since his cameras and collar systems are down," Longshot said, smiling, his eye glowing mischievously.

They both turned around and ran down the hall, Reese holding out an energy shield for cover and Longshot moving so fast that their shots were missing. Before they could contact anyone, Reese stabbed into one with his sword and Longshot blasted the next two with the trusty rifle.

The portal was just in sight, and Aug was not in sight. They hurried into the room, shutting the large door behind them and hoping that no one would check. Reese stared at the portal, which was basically a swirling circle of blue energy projected on the wall.

"Where's Aug? We have to go back!"

But he was interrupted by the happy sound of Aug shouting from behind a desk, smiling brightly. "Thank God that we are almost home. I've never been more glad to see you in my life."

"Me too, bud. Longshot, can you get this thing working?" Reese asked.

The man nodded, typing in combinations on a keypad. He had just set the coordinates when the door slammed open and revealed Mojo and a squad of six guards. Reese and Augustus shared and glance before Longshot motioned for them to head into the portal. But neither mutant wanted to abandon him after he had helped them escape.

"Ah, so you're a full-blown traitor now?" Mojo said in his snake-like voice. "You know what I like to do with my traitors."

"Mojo, your tyranny has gone on long enough. I will defeat you if my life depends upon it," he tapped, reaching for his rifle. Reese created a spear and shield, getting ready to fight if he needed to. Aug awkwardly held out his arms, wishing that he had a cool pose he could take about his powers.

"Get them!" Mojo said, and all chaos broke loose.

Longshot began to fire before they even had a chance, his inhuman speed and deft skill working in his advantage. Reese hurled his spear through the air and right through a guard's abdomen, and then blocked a laser from one of the guns. Augustus began to spin as they shot at him, and was surprised when even the lasers were deflected or redirected by his powers.

"Go!" Longshot yelled, pushing them backwards. "You have to go now!"

Both teenagers wanted to stay and fight, but Longshot grabbed both of them and shoved them toward the blue energy. They were sucked into the portal, never to see Longshot again. As they left, a plasma bolt blasted the portal machine, turning it to a smoking bit of rubble.

Longshot gulped audibly as Mojo's men moved forward.

* * *

><p>Reese woke with a ringing pain in his neck and a throbbing in his head. He groggily tried to lift his hands to rub his aching head, but his entire body was sore.<p>

He tried to recollect what had happened, but he couldn't remember. In fact, he couldn't remember anything. The only thing he knew was his name.

He looked around the unfamiliar surroundings, hoping that something might jog his memory, but there was nothing. The room looked like some kind of hospital, and the bed he was lying on looked like a gurney. So he remembered the word gurney but not where he was? Of course.

He looked over to see a dark-skinned boy dozing in a chair next to him. He knew he should remember the name, but he couldn't place it. Where the hell was he? And who was that?

He made a shifting sound as he tried to stand, and the other boy immediately awoke. "Oh, you're awake. I'll go tell Xavier."

"Xavier?" he asked, his throat still a bit hoarse.

"You'll meet him, Reese. Don't worry."

"Who are you?" the boy asked groggily. "Did you do this to me?"

The boy shook his head, a solemn expression on his face. "No, my name's Augustus, but call me Aug. And I'm sure that I didn't do that to you. I didn't remember anything when I woke up here either, and I still don't, but I know I didn't hurt you."

And with that, the boy left the room, leaving Reese more than a little confused. After a few minutes of contemplating running away as far as his body could take him, the door finally opened to reveal a bald man in a wheelchair.

"Ah, Reese. You're awake," the man said. "I have to tell you that you gave us quite a scare."

"I did?"

The man nodded, frowning that he didn't remember anything more than the other boy did. "You and Aug showed up out of nowhere on our doorstep, and you were completely unconscious. I feared that the two of you would never pull out of your coma." He paused, smiling. "My name is Professor Charles Xavier, and you are in the sublevels of my school for mutants. I'm training them in the use of their powers, and I would love for you to stay with us. I might be able to help you recall your memories, if you'd like?"

Reese thought for a moment, but something about the kind man's demeanor told him that he could trust the professor. "Well, where else can I go?"

The professor smiled sadly. "I promise that I will get your memories back someday. But on a lighter note, let's get the others in here so you can meet them." The man pressed his finger to his temple for a moment, and then smiled. "They should be here soon."

"What did you just do?" asked Reese, curious.

"I sent them a telepathic message to meet the newest student," he explained. "It's quite a nifty trick."

Reese was wary. The idea of getting in someone's head like that was very unsettling.

After a few long moments, the other mutants began to file into the room. The professor gestured to them. "Reese, this is Ava Bronte, Alex Rogers, Kris Tanaka, Rivera Smith, Dean Rocca, and Grant Forsythe. They are on the senior squad. You'll be on the junior squad being led by Dr. Watahari, who I am assuming is in her lab right now. Masato Kimura and Augustus Evans will be joining you." Each of them greeted him, and all were very friendly, for the most part. Masato seemed a bit cold, but Aug was cheerful.

"It's good to meet you guys," Reese said, smiling a little, although he wished that he could remember some things about himself.

"I'm sorry about your memory problems," Ava said, frowning with a real concerned look.

"Yeah, me too," Reese agreed, rubbing his head slightly.

"You are in good hands with the professor though," explained Alex. "Both you and Aug."

Reese could only nod. The professor guided them all up to the upper levels, and Reese followed, a little weak at the knees.

* * *

><p>Later that week, after a shopping trip with the girls, Reese and Aug were walking out to the car from the mall. It was a cloudy, gloomy day, and Ava surprisingly had nothing to do with it.<p>

"Oh, can you make yourself useful and give us some sunshine?" The African American mutant said, pointing to the gray sky.

Ava smirked. "Watch it, kid. Just because you're young doesn't mean I won't fry you."

Rivera smiled. "Oh, don't worry too much about her. She's a softie at heart." Ava glared at her before smiling.

Reese looked up at the sky, and almost immediately, he saw a man standing on a rooftop. He was wearing strange green armor, not unlike the armor that he had arrived at the Institute in, and he noticed a strange yellow light burning behind the man's right eye.

"Hey, look!" Reese said, pointing.

"What do you see?" Dean asked, looking up but seeing nothing.

None of the others saw him either, and when Reese tried to spot him, the man was gone without a trace.

"I feel like I knew him somehow," Reese muttered, and then described what little he saw of him.

"Maybe he's connected with your past somehow," Dean suggested, silently hoping that he would recover his memories one day.

"Yeah, maybe," the boy said, looking toward the roof once more. He didn't know why but he let out a sigh of relief, smiling as though he was glad he had seen the man again.

* * *

><p><strong>I hope that you liked this chapter. Mojo will be appearing later, I think, in Redux but not in this one, so you'll get to see what happens to Longshot. Please, review and tell me what you think. Please, a little concrit never hurt anyone, so if you have any suggestions, review!<strong>


	3. Chapter 3: A Great eXodus

**I want to apologize for the long wait for this. As you all know, school has started back for most people and I fall into that category. I've been busy with all of it for the last week, so I haven't had time to write until today. **

**Shout-Outs: To Kitty-Mae for the awesome character of Jacquelyn Deveraux!**

* * *

><p>Chapter Three:<br>The Great eXodus

The tower stretched overhead, casting an odd shadow on the pavilion. Tourists were flocking to the place, carrying around bags of gifts and souvenirs, and taking random pictures…even those annoying ones which were taken so far away that it made it seem like the kid was taller than the black almost-pyramidal tower.

She sighed as she stared blankly at the pavilion from the small, ritzy café that she loved. It amazed the girl that so many people would follow the same set pattern, and tourists always seemed to do the same things. Especially Americans… Ugh.

Her friend turned to her and tried to get her attention, shaking her shoulder where her light auburn hair curled around her face, and she turned to meet them with blue eyes.

"You seem a little spaced out, Lyn," her friend Eliza said, almost concernedly. "You okay?"

Jacquelyn suddenly grinned in reassurance. "Yes, I'm fine. Listen, I've got to go. Get my mind off of things. But later tonight, I'll call you and we'll do something fun. All right?"

Eliza smiled back at her with warm green eyes. "Okay, but you get back to normal. Are you sure you aren't sick or something? I can head to your house and make you soup. As long as you clear it with Mr. Bennet, first?"

Mr. Bennet was the owner of her orphanage, and was quite odd. She had always referred to him as _folle._ He had always sort of intimidated her and was generally wacky and zany.

"No, that's okay," she said, not wanting to worry about it or make Eliza go out of her way. Lyn stood up to leave. "I just need to go run, clear my head." If only Eliza knew what kind of "running" that Lyn was referring to.

"Well, okay," Eliza said, frowning. She looked to her phone live every fourteen year old kid does, and then back at her parents, who were sitting two tables over, allowing them some peace. "Just remember to call me. I'll have to ask my parents."

Lyn nodded, waving goodbye. As she walked past Eliza's parents, the girl's mom caught Lyn's attention. "Where are you running off to?"

"I'm going to take a taxi and head home. I'm just not feeling well," Jacquelyn lied, a little blush to her cheeks as she thought about where she was really going. She was not a liar at heart, and she did not like it one bit.

Even though it was necessary for her sanity.

"Oh, okay," Eliza's father said, before looking outside. "Just be sure that you go straight home and call one of us when you get there. Tourists can be-"

She was not about to hear the whole "tourists are all insane psycho-murdering weirdoes, especially the pompous arrogant Americans," again. "Don't worry, monsieur. I'll call you."

She waved goodbye once more, smiled at Eliza, and then headed outside. As she rounded the corner, she slumped against the wall and rubbed her joints. They were literally aching from not shifting. Sometimes, having this ability is the worst thing in the world; other times, usually when she's shifted, it feels like the best thing in the world.

She hated going behind her friend's back. Eliza has been there for her through thick and thin, and she often wondered what the girl would think if Lyn told her friend what she could do. Freak out would be the first instinct, but maybe over time, Eliza could get used to it. It's not like Lyn was planning on shifting in front of her best friend anyways, so there's no reason for the girl to get scared.

Oh well. All of that was a pipe dream anyways.

She stood up from the wall as the smell of smoke and alcohol from the bar two blocks away filled her nostrils, and she nearly gagged. While shifting was definitely the best thing in her life, her enhanced senses sure could be annoying.

As she tried to block out the smell, she looked up and saw a very tall man standing in a nearby alleyway, just watching her. Lyn froze, studying his appearance. He was definitely intimidating and looked like he could probably punch a hole through a brick. And when she looked at his face, which was half-covered by the hat he was wearing, she gasped.

Was that…purple skin?

She rubbed her eyes, wondering if the light was affecting them. As she opened them again, the man was gone without a trace. She looked around in the many crowds of people, but none held the extremely tall creeper, and she was certain that he would stick out.

Her bones suddenly shuddered, and she almost feared she would shift right there in the middle of the tourist-filled street. She stood carefully, ignoring the fire in her ankle joints and headed as fast as she could to the edge of town.

* * *

><p>The Institute was a nice place, and the growing squad of "New Mutants," as Alex had affectionately named them, were getting used to the way everything was so different. From the eccentric student body to the strenuous Danger Room sessions, now led by Origami. Thankfully, school was only two weeks away from completion, and the New Mutants were ready to get out of Bayville Middle School as soon as possible.<p>

Reese, always quiet and careful and never risky, was quickly being considered for field leader of the new squad, as was Masato. Alex supported the energy construct creator due to their similar backgrounds, but Ava wanted Masato because of his personality that sort of naturally demanded respect. Or he'll chew you up and spit you out.

Poor Augustus was never given the chance, but no one dared tell him that. He couldn't stop talking about it, about what a good job he knew he could do, what kind of rules he thought would be good ideas, and what kind of team training regimen the young students would be placed under. At this point, everyone had heard him say it so often that they really just wanted him to be quiet.

Fat chance of that. Spindle sure did like to spin his mouth.

"And when I'm made leader, I know I'll do a great job. How can I not? I've got heroic poses and some pretty awesome powers, and everyone loves me," Aug said, rambling on and on.

Origami stared up from her Petri dish, trying to analyze her virus. Aug had already distracted her once just trying to carefully inject the virus into the bacterial cells, and now she was about to miss some crucial results. She compared the microscope's findings to a picture in her notes, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Aug begin to spit off more words.

"Listen, Spindle," the Japanese researcher began, not taking her eyes away from the slide. "I'm going to try to put this as blunt as possible, but please know that I mean it in the best way possible. I mean no disrespect."

The African-American boy raised his eyebrow. "Okay."

"It's possible that you will not be selected as leader. To be honest, I'm not really certain when the rumor started that we were even deciding your squad leader," she tried, only looking up to stare at his face. "How did that idea come up?"

His face had fallen, but he pondered it a bit. "Well, I don't know. I think I overheard something that Ava had said about which of us had potential to be leader."

Keiko considered it. "While I do believe that Xavier, and Xavier alone, will choose a leader based on merit, experience, and overall wisdom in simulations," she began, trying to place her words, "I don't believe the choice will be made this soon. It's still a little early to say whom he might pick, and you don't know if someone more capable than any of the three of you might come along. But please, settle your mind and consider the possibilities on your own."

Aug thought in silence for a good long moment, before finally breaking out into a grin. "Okay! Thank you, Dr. Takahashi! Your advice is much appreciated!" And with that, the impulsive boy jumped from his seat at the lab table and left through the elevator that connected directly with the library upstairs.

Origami broke into a smile and then looked down through the microscope again. She frowned. "Ah, the merits of teaching." She pulled out the failed experiment, having missed the moment that she had needed to examine in the bacteria's life cycle.

She pulled out the file with the words, "Legacy Cure," labeled on the front. She opened to the log and recorded the results, before walking over to the cooler and pulling out another Petri dish with the same sample of bacteria.

"Time to try again."

* * *

><p>Jacquelyn finally managed to get to the edge of the city, where more wilderness was rampant. She fell into a clump of trees, knowing by now that it was time for her to shift. Her muscles were starting to feel discomfort as she had gone far too long without changing.<p>

Suddenly, she smelled something odd. She spun, trying to see if something was following her. Thankfully, there was nothing odd, just the light feel of wind and the mating calls of various small animals. She sniffed once more and realized that she just must have been smelling the city.

"All right, Lyn. You can do this," she said, concentrating. If anyone saw her and knew what she was about to do, they might ask her why she hadn't stripped down. For some unknown reason, her clothes shifted with her; she questioned the physics behind that, but what exactly was right for a girl who could turn into a huge white tiger?

Jacquelyn felt the power rushing from within, and for one small moment, she felt the pain as her body shifted into its new form. Skin receded for white and black striped fir, muscles expanded to huge lengths, and her limbs shifted position and changed shape. Her face contorted into that of a great feline, one of the big cats upon the earth. Perhaps the most discomfort was the growth of her tail, as she never was sure where it came from.

She imagined her powerful body and how majestic it must have been to see. After the initial moment of freaking out, of course. Light red fur tipped and tinged her body in various places, but only enough for an almost light red tint, a shade lighter than her human hair.

She took off to a run, feeling the new senses expanding for her. She weaved in and out of trees with her powerful form and she had never felt anything that could even compare to how amazing it felt. She considered that this must be what it was life to fly like a bird, the freedom as the girl felt she could go anywhere she wanted and no one would bother her. Surely not any natural predators, as she was much larger than even the common Bengal tiger. Humans, however, she was always wary of. White tigers with long Siberian-like teeth and almost needle-like fur on her tail weren't exactly common.

She admired the wild-life as she pushed farther and farther away from society. Birds chirped and eyed her in fright, and she reveled in the power of the huge predator. Fish, she was certain, knew enough to stay far away from her in the river she was running alongside, staying just under the cover of brush to ensure no fishermen saw her.

Almost everywhere she looked, she could see some form of human civilization; power-lines, boat-docks, deer stands and abandoned campsites. It was a planet of bigots who believed that they were better than their fellow animals, and she frowned whenever she thought about it. So many species had died off all because we needed something from them, something they couldn't return when all was gone. She shook violently as her animal-side grew angry, before she reached out and swiped a powerful claw, downing a medium sized tree with one touch.

_All right, Lyn. Control yourself and don't leave a trail. _She definitely didn't want any hunters to follow her trail.

That's when she sniffed, catching that same scent as before. She turned with feline reflexes, and immediately caught sight of the tall purple-skinned man. The tiger-girl froze, thinking over the predicament.

Had this man somehow followed her, knowing who she really was? Or was it all simply coincidence or simply rotten luck?

She studied his features more clearly, and she tilted her head in confusion, wondering why he seemed familiar. Lyn couldn't place his identity in the dim light of the trees, but it seemed more than odd. Did she know him somehow?

Deciding to have a little fun, she opened her maw and her Siberian tiger fangs grew slightly to appear intimidating. The man didn't flinch. She stalked closer to him, as angry a look as she could emit as a tiger. He didn't have a reaction to it in the slightest. She frowned inwardly, before opening her jaws and emitting the largest growl she could possibly emit.

Again, the man didn't even move.

_What is this man's deal?_

Suddenly, she leapt forward and landed only a foot away from the man. The stranger finally flinched, throwing out a hand.

To her surprise, she felt like a train hit her across her abdomen as she was flung threw the air and into a tree. And the man hadn't even touched her.

She looked up and growled, but the stranger had taken the opportunity to disappear. She sniffed, trying to ferret him out, but even his scent was gone. It was as if he had vanished without a trace.

Things were beginning to get odd.

* * *

><p>Reese headed down to the sub-levels, hoping to watch the senior students on their own training missions. He was genuinely interested in seeing how they worked together, and he wondered if the junior students would ever become a cohesive force like they were.<p>

As he walked through the halls, loud beeps suddenly erupted from a side room. Curious, he peaked his head inside to see what was going on.

The room was huge and oddly spherical, with metal squares lining the walls. A platform extended outward, almost like a bridge into the center of the room, where a console was placed. Professor Xavier was sitting in his wheelchair, trying to examine it. He crept close, not sure if he should or not.

"I really don't understand what is happening," Xavier said, peering down at the screen. The beeps suddenly came again, all too loud against their ears.

"Has it ever done something like this before?" said a voice. Reese was surprised to see Dr. Takahashi suddenly pop her head up from behind the console, working hard to see if she could fix it.

"Not exactly," Xavier muttered. "Right before the Asteroid M incident, Cerebro caught a new mutant signature, a very powerful one. But before I could further investigate, it was as if something blocked me from her position." He frowned, gesturing towards it. "And now it is like the machine can't stop declaring that there's a new signature."

"Where's it coming from?" Reese asked suddenly, startling Origami but Professor X was unaffected.

"Ah, hello Reese," the man said, turning to look at him. "Apparently, Cerebro has detected two signatures very near Paris. One is new, and the other is at least a Level Four."

"Level?" Reese asked, wondering what that meant. He couldn't help but wonder if that was something he knew before his memory was taken from him.

"It's an organization method that essentially rates mutants on how powerful they are when you solely factor in their powers. For instance, I'm a Level Four, and both you and Origami here are Level Threes."

The woman smiled, standing up from behind the console. "Yep, we're on the same level." She turned to Xavier as Reese smiled. "I really don't know how to do any of this. It's not my area of expertise."

He smiled, but frowned when the machine suddenly beeped again, showing two blips on an area just outside of France. "It's hard to fix something when you don't know what's wrong."

"I think it's obvious what's wrong," Reese said suddenly, almost like it was simple. "We should go investigate."

Xavier frowned. "After what happened the last time with Magneto and the mysterious cut-off from Cerebro, I'm not sure if I want to risk it, since the situations are similar."

Reese stood forward, burning with intensity. "But Professor, I know that's what we need to do. You won't find out until you try."

Xavier considered it before slowly nodding. "Perhaps you are right. I'll gather the senior students and we'll leave immediately."

Reese's eyes widened. "Oh, but we can do it! The New Mutants! I don't want to interrupt their training sessions, and we need some field experience. Not everything we can do with our powers can come from just the Danger Room, Professor."

Origami smiled, clapping him on the shoulder. "He does have a point, and if you will allow the three of them to go, I will be there every step of the way."

Xavier considered both of their words, but after a moment of hesitation, Reese pleaded with him. "We can do this, Xavier, if you will let us try."

Finally, he nodded. "All right. Gather your team, Reese." The young boy, a mere fourteen, dashed out of the Cerebro room almost immediately.

The professor smiled. "I don't even think he realizes that I just made him leader."

The scientist smirked, but remembered the conversation she had had earlier about Aug. "Maybe it can be temporary, Charles." She explained her talk with him and wanted to make Xavier consider all of the options. "I honestly don't think the leadership position is that important, but they do. Or at least, Augustus does."

"Ah," the telepath said, mulling it over. "Well, we'll see. I'll give it some thought."

The woman nodded, before heading off to get ready for the trip.

* * *

><p>The building finally appeared on the horizon, a huge European-style castle. It was complete with stone walls and towers as tall as one would expect. Lyn had always wondered why Mr. Bennet would have even turned his huge family inheritance into an orphanage, especially one with so few children.<p>

Lyn had, in some ways, enjoyed her time there. It was fun to explore the grounds, and she constantly used to search for hidden passages and secret tunnels. The staff treated her and the other orphans well, and she was never without a meal. Mr. Bennet, while an odd multi-millionaire, had never done any of them wrong.

She entered the gate after a quick talk with the guard and strolled towards the entrance. A few of the other kids were playing outside, and that was when the familiar burning sensation returned to her joints. She ached to shift and chase the rugby ball they were throwing, even though it had only been about an hour since she had last shifted.

She finally entered the front door, and she had barely gotten a few feet in when the butler suddenly appeared. He was a kind older gentlemen, and he fit all the stereotypes to an almost comedic degree.

"Madam, Monsieur Bennet would like to speak with you. He can be found in the library."

She thanked him and set her bag down by the front door, before heading through the main hallway. She admired the murals and paintings as she passed them, as she had always done.

The library soon stretched before her, a great room with hundreds of books. Some were so ancient that the dust had dust, but the newer reads were her favorites. The shelves stacked almost to the ceiling of the ten-meter-high room.

At the back to the room was the man she sought. He was sitting at his desk with an old lamp burning next to him, as he bent over one of his books. He was reading one of those classics and was comparing it to his notebook.

The man himself immediately made her think of the purple-skinned man. She studied him with wide eyes for a long moment, as she realized the body shape and height might be right. Bennet tensed, before looking up at her with a kind smile.

"Jacquelyn! Just the girl I was looking for," he said kindly, before gesturing to the chair in front of him. She sat carefully, wondering if she was just plain stupid for thinking that he had purple skin by mistake.

The man fumbled for a moment, not knowing exactly what to say. Finally, he relaxed and calmly placed his hands together. "I realize that you might want to do something else right now, but I just can't help myself. I have to ask you, and I'm honestly surprised that the notion didn't come to me before. It seemed implausible before, but now I'm certain. I have no idea how you kept it from me, but now I know."

Her eyes widened. "What are you talking about, monsieur? Is this about that day I skipped school?"

He chuckled, raising his hands. "No, it's not something as trivial as that. This is much more important than that."

Jacquelyn stared at him, a crazed look on his face. "Well, can you elaborate please?" Was this about…?

"Yes, of course I can. I honestly don't know how I didn't notice it, because something like this shouldn't have gone unnoticed. I mean, Erik always said that they were out there, but I've never even thought that there would be another under my roof."

"Another what? And who's Erik?"

"Erik is just someone that I used to work with, but that's not important. You're a mutant! Just like me!" the man exclaimed.

"Mutant?"

The man smirked excitedly, before flicking his wrists towards the book shelves around him. Suddenly, to her complete shock, tomes of all shapes and sizes suddenly floated off of the shelves and began to encircle the man. His skin suddenly deepened to a reddish-purple color, and he rose several inches off the ground, seemingly hovering as though by an invisible hook.

Lyn nearly shrieked, reminded of the way she had been thrown into a tree earlier. She shot up, a growl escaping her lips. She was shocked and completely bewildered. "How are you doing that? And why were you following me earlier?"

"The same way that you can transform into that majestic beast: we're mutants, Jacquelyn. Blessed with mutant X-gene in our genetic code that grants us both powerful abilities. I'm telekinetic," he explained, a rather bright smile on his face. The books righted themselves on the shelves as he lowered to the ground. "And you are a shape-shifter."

She couldn't help but back up a few feet. "I don't understand."

"I didn't either, at first. But I can help you, if you'll promise to help me," he said, offering a hand.

"Why should I help you? And what exactly am I helping with?" She was almost afraid to hear the answer.

"Because I can give you control. Humans will never understand, but together, we could be unstoppable. You just have to help me with a little project."

She considered his words. "I don't want to be a 'mutant' or whatever you are. And I know I don't want to help a purple-skinned freak like you."

Suddenly, she collapsed to the ground in agony. She tried to cry out, but no sound came out. The man glared at her, never breaking eye-contact. After a mere second of agonizing pain, she was already lying on the ground, bowing before him. She tried to stand, but another wave of pain invaded her being and she suddenly shifted into her tiger form.

Before she could somehow retaliate, the pain faded. But it was though a fog had covered her mind, controlling her. She felt blocked from the world, as though she was only seeing through a film. Jacquelyn tried to fight, but her body wouldn't respond.

"I wasn't giving you an option," the man said, petting the tiger-girl on the head. "See, I'm also a very powerful telepath. And you have no choice but to obey me."

* * *

><p>Masato stared out of the jet's window, feeling very uneasy. He nearly wanted to scream because he couldn't feel the earth under his feet, and being in the Blackbird for this long was completely disorienting. It didn't help that the Atlantic Ocean was beneath them.<p>

Origami turned briefly to check on him, seeing his sickly face. "Next time, I'll remember to grab some soil. Maybe a little baggy will help."

He grimaced at her as she turned back to the jet's controls. "Very funny."

Augustus turned toward him, away from his conversation with Reese. "Oh, Masa, get a grip. We're just away from the ground. You aren't going to die. I heard about this one time, at-"

"I swear if the next words you say are 'band camp', I will seriously throw you out of the window," the Japanese boy threatened, with a look so serious that all the color in Aug's face drained away.

Reese was dying out laughing. "I can't believe you've seen _American Pie_! That's hilarious!"

Masato simply smirked, before turning back to the jet. It was getting dark already, but an outline of land was very nearby. If he focused hard enough, he could just barely see the City of Lights, whose night lights were very fitting of the title.

Origami picked up a headset from the jet's panel as she slowly eased toward the city. She pressed a button and the cloaking mechanism activated, completely blocking the jet from sight and radar detection. "Professor, can you locate her?" After a brief moment, she nodded. "Understood."

After several minutes, the plane finally landed outside of the city, in a forest clearing. Origami turned to the team of New Mutants. "Xavier recently pinpointed the girl's location. Believe it or not, she is at the Louvre. He believes that she is using her powers to break in, but he suspects something fishy is going on."

Aug pondered it. "What is she doing? Stealing a painting?"

The woman only shrugged. "I don't know, but we have to be careful not to alert ourselves to the authorities. Something is going on, but Xavier can't tell what."

They eased out of the jet once they were certain they were ready, and Masato breathed a sigh of relief as soon as his foot touched the ground.

"Savor that feeling," Keiko said, patting him on the shoulder. "Because the trip back is going to be just as long."

He groaned.

* * *

><p>The two mutants approached the museum. Jacquelyn was helpless as her body walked toward the front door on its own, and was thankful that the man had transformed her back into human form. A larger-than-average white tiger might freak out the locals.<p>

She kept hearing light commands in her head, Bennet's assurances that she would only do as he commanded. It was as though she was on auto-pilot, while her inner self screamed to get away as fast as she could.

The night guard was unsuspecting to actually have to deal with anyone. It was another boring night for him, but Bennet approached with his faithful and helpless puppet at his side. Jacquelyn had no idea what kind of story that the guard was spoon-fed telepathically, but it was very quickly apparent as the man unlocked the security codes and the door opened.

Another command was pushed into the guard's mind, and after a brief stop by the front door, the security systems, including the cameras, shut off completely.

"Why thank you," Bennet said, before waving his hand and thrusting the guard against the wall, knocking him unconscious. "But your services are no longer required."

Jacquelyn was ushered forward against her will, and the two mutants walked through the halls to find the piece they were looking for.

_Why do you even need me? You've been doing fine on your own, since you are so powerful._

Bennet heard her plea before thrusting another jolt of invisible pain onto the girl, forcing Lyn to her knees. "You're probably right. I don't need you. I just enjoy watching you squirm."

A fierce feeling of hatred boiled up to the surface, causing the telekinetic telepath to frown.

"Didn't your parents ever teach you some manners? It's not nice to hate people."

That was a low blow. Jacquelyn suddenly growled, feeling the hold over her break for just a brief second. She morphed into her tiger form and immediately pounced at him. Her moment of freedom ended as she bounced against his telekinetic barrier, and he didn't even move a finger. She fell to the ground as another blast of pain dashed through her, making her scream.

She was now absolutely certain. This man was insane.

Suddenly, he peeked up and then smirked. "Well, it looks like I will need you after all. Go."

She felt the fog descend upon her mind again and she felt her body go into autopilot once more. She calmly walked toward the entrance, inwardly fighting against his control.

* * *

><p>"Geez, this place is huge," Aug whispered, pointing ahead. "I wonder if we'll get to see the Mona Lisa."<p>

"We're not here for sight-seeing, Spindle," Reese said, his blue eyes looking ahead. "She's here somewhere. Let's move out."

Origami exited a room adjacent to the hallway. "They've turned off the security and the guard is unconscious. Which means we can use our powers without worrying about being spotted."

Suddenly, a short young girl with auburn hair came from around the corner, dressed in a knee-length blue-jean skirt and a white long-sleeve button-up shirt. She had a blank look about her face as she looked toward them all.

"That must be her!" Aug said loudly. "She doesn't look like someone who would just break into a museum."

"No, she doesn't," Keiko said, watching the girl's movements carefully. "Be ready."

Suddenly, without warning, the girl shifted into a huge white tiger, with long fangs and powerful claws. Everyone watched with awed expressions, but their moment was ruined when the tiger-girl lunged toward them.

Reese jumped in front of them, generating a round shield of purple energy. The tiger clattered against it, but quickly recovered to dodge a powered-up Stone-Heart slash. The feline mutant pounced again, aiming for Aug, but the boy simply spun rapidly. The animal shifter was caught in the miniature vortex, and for a brief moment, she spun around Aug with the current, before being flung away towards the other hallway.

"There's something odd about her," Keiko said as the team followed her. The French girl-turned-tiger approached them again, but Origami threw out her hands and shot chains made of paper from her arms.

The chains ensnared the girl like a net, binding her limbs into place. The girl struggled against her bounds, her white and black striped tail flicking, but the paper held strong.

"Jacquelyn," Keiko began, remembering the name from Xavier's report. "We're not here to hurt you."

"She's a tiger," Masato said bitterly, his body still tainted with black earth energy. "Can she even understand you?"

"I don't think she understands anything," Aug said. "She seems a bit robotic. Like she's under someone else's control."

"Ah," said a voice. They turned to see a very tall, very heavily built man approach from the end of the hall. When he fell into the light, they were startled to see his skin a sickly red-purple color. He had a cylinder tube across his back, probably carrying a famous piece of art.

"So you are the second signature Xavier found, the Level Four mutant," Keiko said, standing in front of the three New Mutants and the paper-bound tiger.

"And you must be some of Xavier's," said the man in a heavy French accent, stopping in front of them. He was dressed in a red and purple skin-tight suit, with a bright yellow collar wrapped around his head almost like a Dracula cape. It took them a moment to realize that he was floating above the ground. "I've heard about you."

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" asked Reese loudly.

The tall man smirked, pointing to the artwork sealed in the tube on his back. "You can call me Exodus, and I'm simply claiming something as my own, to add to my personal collection."

"What have you done to Jacquelyn?" asked Aug, worried.

"Ah, I've just placed her under my control," he explained. "But I don't need her any more, now that I have what I came for."

He started to float toward the exit, but the other mutants stepped in front of it. "We can't let you get away with that painting. And release Jacquelyn from your control!" Reese said, a sword and shield appearing on his arm. Purple light filled the empty hall.

Exodus stared at the miserable display, grinning. "You don't stand a chance, but I applaud your fight."

The mutant raised his hand and immediately, Reese was thrown into a nearby statue with the force of a train. His weapons faded as he landed, nearly unconscious.

Masato shouted as he rushed forward and tried to punch the taller mutant, but a flick of the wrist sent the Japanese boy flying into the ceiling.

"Hmm," the man said, marveling at the boy's weight. "You are a heavy one."

Aug began to spin once more, trying to suck the mutant into a vortex, but the telekinetic mutant was unaffected. A cry of pain erupted from the African American's mouth and the boy dropped to the ground, unconscious.

Origami watched as the whole thing was over in a matter of seconds, and she cursed for letting them come on the mission. They could be seriously hurt, and it would be on her conscious for pressuring Xavier to allow them to come.

"And what say you?" Exodus asked the last one standing. The woman was broken from her reverie. "Do you have any more skill than those pathetic kids?"

The papyrokinetic simply flicked her own wrists and three paper shuriken were flung from the folds of her body. They flew at tremendous speeds, but they hit a telekinetic barrier at the last second, before falling to the ground.

Keiko used the moment to dash forward with two paper blades for arms. She managed to strike him once, cutting across the man's torso, before she was flung off and into a wall. Her body splashed into dozens of paper slips and cluttered to the floor.

"A pity," he said as Masato cried out for her. "She could have been an asset. Now, I'll take my leave."

The powerful mutant vanished from the museum in the front door, leaving the New Mutants to grieve. Jacquelyn's mind unclouded and she regained control of her body, and she quickly shifted to human form to escape the paper holds.

"Oh no! What have I done?" she cried out, feeling responsible for what happened to the New Mutant's teacher.

By now, Reese and Augustus were beginning to awaken again, and when they saw a distraught Masato among bits of paper, their eyes widened in fear and sadness.

But before they even had time to break down, bits of paper slowly started to move. It was slow and arduous, unnoticed by them at first. Paper began to gather in clumps and piles, slowly folding together. After a moment of the others watching in awe and relief, Keiko Takahashi finally re-joined them, still looking like a paper version of herself. She picked up the image inducer and turned it on, revealing her regular appearance.

"He got away, didn't he?" The others nodded. "Damn. I'm sorry to have worried you like that, but it's an ability that I've only had to use once before."

"You scared us," Reese said, breathing deeply to calm down. "We thought you had died."

"Why did that guy steal a painting anyways?" Masato asked. "It seems so trivial."

"Ah, but they can be sold for large amounts of money," the woman explained. They all figured it made some sense.

Jacquelyn stepped up, eyeing Origami. "I apologize for all of this," she said in a thick French accent. "I was… not myself."

Keiko smiled. "It's completely understandable. I know a way that you can make it up to me though."

"How?"

"Join us at the Institute," explained the woman. She went on to explain the basics of the school, and that it could be a good thing for her.

"This has almost been way too much mutant drama for one day, but I accept. It should not be hard for this Xavier to adopt me."

"Great," Masato said, truthful this time. "But shouldn't we head after this guy? He can't have gotten too far, and I want to hurt him for what he almost did to you."

Keiko shook his head, admiring his look of tenacity. "With his kind of powers, there isn't much we could have done. We'll contact the police and let them know that he got away with the painting anonymously. I'm sure that we can find a way to make it sound non-incriminating for us." She turned to Jacquelyn, smiling. "How's about we get out of here for now? We'll handle the necessary business in the morning."

"Sounds like a good idea," the newest member of the team said, images of revenge against Exodus rushing through her mind. She hoped that he could hear her gory thoughts.

* * *

><p><strong>Paris Bennet, aka Exodus, is a mutant from the comic books, and I toned down his powers greatly. He was telekinetic, telepathic, teleporting, and immortal in the comics. And he will most likely be appearing again. <strong>

**I love the freedom I get to introduce comic-book characters in this arc, since I'm not so bound by the show's canon. This is the last chapter in this arc that will be more of a stand-alone, since the next four are all more interconnected. **


	4. Chapter 4: Savage Capture

**I realize that it has been WAY too long since an update, and I apologize. Between English Papers, Research Papers, Homecoming Week, and just school in general, I haven't had the time to write like I may want. But I'm back, baby! Anyways, I hope you enjoy the first real plot-chapter of Savage Legacy! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men: Evolution or any Marvel comic-book characters mentioned here. **

* * *

><p>Chapter Four:<br>Savage Capture

_Cold._

That was the only thing that either of them could feel. The only thing they could see was a vast expanse of pure white, and both of them were quick to remind each other that they could lose their eyesight if they weren't careful. Snow blind was a common occurrence in the vastness of Antarctica.

"Are temperature readings shivting?" asked the first scientist, his broken English tough to understand through his Russian accent.

The man glanced down at the device in his hands, designed to monitor the temperature shifts in the region, through the use of the sensors placed around the area. He was a bit skeptical of what the politicians call, "Global Climate Change." But the data in his hands was pretty conclusive.

"Yeah. A few meters that way, the temperature changes rather drastically," the American scientist said as he started to climb the valley before him. Their spiked boots and heavy gear were the only reasons they were still alive after their half-day hike from the base.

When they finally reached the top of the cliff, a long _beep_ suddenly clamored through the air. He looked down at the monitor in his hands, and almost immediately opened his jaws in disbelief.

The temperature was rising. It was rising dramatically, from a few clicks below freezing to around twenty degrees Celsius.

"What the hell?" he asked in fright, nearly unsure of what was happening. "That's not possible…"

"Vot is it?" the other scientist asked, brushing his hands together for warmth.

"It's way too hot. Right here!"

_Crack!_

The scientist looked at the ground for a brief moment before it cracked beneath him, a hole expanding rapidly. The American lurched to the side, rolling away from the crack. But before he could say anything, the Russian was suddenly sucked downwards, as though the ice had swallowed him whole.

"Vlad!" he yelled from the top of the hole, his voice carrying. After a moment of silence, a sudden cough broke the air.

"I'm… okay," the man yelled from below with a sigh of relief. After another moment, the American heard Vlad's gasp. "You aren't going to believe zis, Matt. I'm in… a warm spot. It looks like… tropical jungle, surrounded by dome of ice. Zhere're mountains and hills, and I vink zere's a river."

Matt looked down the hole, now worried for his friend. Vlad must have hit his head, because there was no way that there was a hidden ecosystem in Antarctica. He has to be delusional.

"I'm coming down to meet you," he called down, hoping that Vlad wasn't too far away. He grabbed his gear, attaching a tethering cord to a spot on the slope a few feet away.

Matt repelled down the almost chasm-like hole in the ice, and after a brief descent, he finally saw Vlad, standing in awe on a ledge. He questioned it in his head as he dropped, trying to see if the Russian had injured himself in any way, but he looked fine from here.

"C'mon, Vlad," he said as he dropped, his face still to the ice wall in front of him. "We've got to get back up, and get you some first aid."

But both were in awe when Matt finally turned around to see the expanse in front of him. It was as though they had fallen into a paradise hidden from the world, with lush forests and the sounds of life. It smelled of citrus and deep herbs, and the scientist within him was giddy at the possibilities of flora and fauna that could exist in this surprisingly warm environment.

"Impossible," muttered the American, pulling the monitor from his belt to show that the temperature was around forty degrees Celsius. Hotter than the human body. So hot that the thick gear for frigid temperatures was starting to bother them.

"Definitely," the Russian replied, simply in amazement.

They eyed the jungle carefully, but so much so that they didn't see the figure approaching from above. A shadow crested over them, and Matt averted his eyes from the trees for just a moment to see a green winged creature drop from the sky.

He backed off in fright and the pterodactyl-like humanoid clamped onto an unwary Russian's face. Vlad screamed for a long moment before collapsing, the monster making a sound that was unmistakably insane laughter.

Matt eased back, his hands holding onto the ice wall behind him. The pterodactyl-man stepped over the dead scientist, the long scaly tail flicking in the air.

"What are you?" the man asked, nearly gulping for fear of death.

"Me?" the monster said, surprising the human by being able to speak. "Well, I once was an outsider, like you. But thanks to the Creator, I've been given otherworldly power! I am Sauron!"

Matt's last thought was, _Why does this guy think he's a character in Lord of the Rings?_

The man dropped to the ground, lifeless. The pterodactyl humanoid stared at his hands as they glowed a light red color, humming with life energy.

"Seriously, Sauron. Why do you have to be so dramatic?" a voice from behind called out.

He turned to see the familiar green-tinted girl sitting on a branch of the nearest tree, looking very much at home in the leaves that matched the bits and pieces in her black-green hair. All the plant-life around her seemed to focus on her, almost twisting and turning to her whim.

Sauron flew down to her with three effortless strokes of his reptilian wings, not even bothering to move the corpses. "You have no idea what thrill it is to take the life of another! Their energy flowing through my body is the most exciting thrill I've ever experienced!"

The girl frowned, looking disgusted with his presence. "Somebody needs to get laid."

.:(SL):.

The geneticist moved from one slide to the next, examining the cells under the microscope. She was flipping back and forth between typing on a computer and searching through the cabinets for various materials. She watched the mutated cells divide from phase to phase, and immediately, she realized something.

"The centromeres and telomeres are-"

Suddenly, the beep of the intercom dragged her out of her reverie. "Keiko," the professor's voice said, sounding urgent, "Cerebro has detected something unusual and very alarming. Come to the planning room, immediately."

She sighed and agreed with him, before heading upstairs, the promising results at the tip of her fingers. When she finally saw Xavier, he was looking very perplexed. Keiko wondered why Storm wasn't at his side, as she always was, but then remembered that she was busy with her family back in Africa.

"What is it, Charles?"

The man hesitated, thinking over his words. "It's unprecedented, Keiko. I've never experienced anything like it, but I've detected an unusual presence. In Antarctica."

"Antarctica? A mutant in Antarctica?" The Japanese woman was baffled. Why would there be anything there? The chances of a mutant researcher from another country being stationed at one of the labs were slim to none.

"Actually, several," the professor said. "But they are different from mutant signatures. They appear on the scanners almost like mutants, and almost like humans."

"Like a hybrid? Fascinating," she said, completely astounded.

"Exactly," the man answered, a part of him excited about this.

"But how in Antarctica? That doesn't make any sense," said Keiko. "There's a reason why the League of Nations agreed that no one could colonize it. It's too harsh for life."

"I agree," Xavier said, nodding. "Perhaps these mutants have abilities that allow them to survive in cold temperatures, or perhaps Cerebro is malfunctioning again. But nonetheless, after we check things out to make sure Cerebro is working, I think you should investigate."

Keiko thought about her research. "I don't know, Professor. I'm nearly at a breakthrough with my work on the anti-bodies. I'm interested, but I don't know."

Xavier thought for a moment. "With Ororo in Africa, and Logan on an extended trip away from the mansion, there's no one to send but you, Keiko. I need to stay in Bayville for a conference that's coming up, or I would go myself." He pondered it a bit more. "We can set up something for your lab in the jet. Maybe you can continue your research there. Besides, Keiko. Think about the possibilities. Does it not appeal to you?"

Keiko considered it, deciding how she would carry her lab equipment and study while away. She thought about the cold, but that wouldn't be a problem in the jet, where she would be for the most part. She sighed and nodded.

"Okay, why not?" she said, a slight accent on her voice. "Let me go and get things ready. I'll leave as soon as possible."

"Thank you, Keiko," the professor said with a smile. "I promise you that it will be worthwhile."

She smirked as she left the room to head back to the lab. "I'll hold you to that, Charles."

.:(SL):.

Jacquelyn was absolutely in love with the mansion. She was so excited to be around so many people like her. The senior members of the X-Men were very _amusant,_ and each of the members of her "team" seemed very unique. She was looking forward to her stay there, and she had only been there for two weeks.

The summer sun felt good on her skin, and she relished in the fact that she could change forms whenever she wanted to on the campus. Although Xavier was quick to make sure she didn't get to close to the outer fences, since some might question why the man was keeping rare illegal white tigers at his home.

She loved everything about the place, and it almost exemplified _liberte_. America truly was special.

Except the morning rush. When you get ten or more teenagers in a house together, it was bad enough. But ten or more _mutant_ teenagers in a house was asking too much. She thought the kids at the orphanage were bad.

Jacquelyn had woken up early one morning and was getting ready for a day in the city when someone began banging on the door. She climbed out of the shower and answered the door.

"Ah!" Ava screamed, a gust of wind slamming the door shut so hard that it might as well have woken up China. "Don't do that, Jackie!"

The French girl smirked as she looked in the mirror, seeing herself as the large feline. She morphed back and opened the door slightly, poking out her human head ringed by wet auburn hair. "Zorry, Ava. Next time, go for the downstairs bathroom."

The girl glared at her as she shut the door calmly to continue her shower. "Ugh, fine. Just be lucky I didn't fry you!"

Jackie snickered as she listened to Ava's complaining, wondering why Americans weren't better at comebacks.

.:(SL):.

Breakfast was an entire ordeal, Masato decided. He'd been there the longest since the newer group of recruits, but despite all the time to adjust, the morning meal was still overly complicated each day. And since they seemed to still be recruiting, it didn't get any better. The entire thing was troublesome, but at least things were calmer now that school was over for the year.

"You going to eat that?" asked Alex for the umpteenth time. Masato stared at the bits of food around the older boy's mouth and pushed half-eaten plate towards him.

"Have at it," he said simply, before standing up to clean up his mess and head outside to read. Or meditate. Whichever he felt like doing, since he was a pretty, "go with the flow" type of guy.

"Something wrong?" asked Reese from across from him, who had been watching the baseball game on the television. "You seem even less talkative than usual."

Masato smirked. "Well, we can't all be chatterboxes like Augustus, now can we?"

"Did somebody say my name? Because it seriously sounded like someone said it. Was it you, Masato?" asked the voice of Aug, who was just now coming down from his shared bedroom with Reese.

_Ugh. He could be half-asleep, and he'd still talk up a storm,_ Masato realized.

"I'm going to go now," the Japanese boy said, ready for some alone time. He just felt like going outside to feel the earth beneath his feet. It always calmed him down. "_Sayonara._"

Aug sat down next to Reese and started making a plate with what was left of the food. Masato grabbed his backpack and left, leaving Alex, Reese, and Aug alone.

"Why can't he be a little warmer towards us, Reese? He's on our team, and we can't even get him to say more than a few words to us," asked the rotating mutant as he piled some scrambled eggs onto his plate.

"I don't know, Aug," answered Reese. "He's got some issues to work through, I think. But I think there was some progress, because he definitely said, 'Goodbye.' Usually, he just walks off."

"Eh, give him some time," Alex said in between mouthfuls of food. "He'll come around."

Aug sure hoped so.

.:(SL):.

Masato took a deep breath as he shrugged off his shoes, setting them neatly next to his backpack. He spread out his toes, automatically feeling the earth's energy rejuvenating him as he touched the soft soil at the base of his favorite tree. He felt his skin flicker into his earthly form before returning to normal, the energy enough to soothe him but not transform him.

He felt a bit odd about taking energy from the earth, if he didn't need it. He didn't know why, but he felt like the planet needed it more. That would probably sound odd to anyone that thought he was selfish towards them, but he always felt a bit selfish to use the earth's power. Perhaps he was naïve, and he would never tell anyone of his worries, except maybe Watahari-sama, but he couldn't help it.

He sighed, wondering just how stupid he sounded. The planet was an inanimate object, a random combination of stardust that eventually produced life with other bits of stardust.

Masato leaned against the tree trunk, before sitting down at its base to think. His books were sitting in the pocket of his backpack, but the give and take between him and the soil beneath him felt so calming he was too lazy to even open it up.

His mind drifted to something his mother had told him one day. He couldn't remember the words exactly, but perhaps it was her religious beliefs that made him think this about his "selfish" powers. She hadn't pressured him into believing anything that he didn't want to, but some of it must have been inherited by him after all. And Masato had never considered himself a religious person.

He looked up in surprise as the tiger form of Jacquelyn dashed by, enjoying the soak of the sun. She looked like she was just enjoying herself on this fine summer's day. The boy half-expected her to be chasing mice.

Suddenly, a familiar sound reached his ears. He looked up to see the jet rising from the basketball court, and he wondered who was leaving. Was there something going on? A mission for the senior members of the Institute, dubbed the X-Men? Or just a stroll for Xavier?

As the jet raced into the sky, Jacquelyn morphed back into her normal form, her petite body oddly feline as she stood. "That iz zo amazing," the girl said in her slight French accent. "But what do you zink is going on?"

Masato could only shrug as he headed to find some answers, Tigress pursuing closely.

.:(SL):.

Reese felt the twinge of pain, one that was familiar to him since he had arrived at the Institute with hardly any memory of who he was. No, it wasn't the feeling of Danger Room lasers.

"All right, Reese, I'm about to push a little harder," said the voice of Xavier, who was hovering his hands over the boy's temples. "Whatever erased your memories left them almost completely wiped clean."

Reese nodded, before being reminded to stay still. Xavier's mental probe twitched as it gave him another phantom pain, and he felt himself being pulled into another memory.

A small smile, obviously a female's lips. She looked cheerful, but it was a fragmented picture with no sound, as though someone had cropped the image. Reese hoped that was his mother, but he didn't know if it was true or not.

"Ah, now we're getting somewhere," Xavier said, although Reese knew they had seen the same mouth before. He was trying to encourage the boy into not giving up hope.

The image shifted to a flannel print, with red and gold striped together. A faint smell of pines wafted through the memory, and it was so clear that Reese could smell it himself.

"Do you think that could be my dad?"

"It's possible," the man said, stabilizing the unclear image, before pressing a little harder.

Pain erupted into his mind. A host of pictures shot by, one of purple energy and an explosion, and he pushed away from the telepath out of pure shock.

"I'm sorry, Reese," the professor said, glad that they had finally seen something promising. The boy breathed deeply, as though he had just run a marathon.

"It's…all right," he answered back, breath finally coming back to him. He wiped the sweat from his brow before looking at Xavier. "How're Aug's memory exercises coming?"

"They do not fare any better than yours, I'm afraid," the professor answered back.

Suddenly, the office door opened and broke their reveries. Masato and Jacquelyn appeared, determined looks on their faces. "What's going on? Who just left in the jet?"

The professor smiled apologetically. "Oh, Dr. Watahari left on a mission. Cerebro detected something strange last night, and I've sent her to investigate."

Masato seemed a little taken aback. "What did she go to investigate? Another recruit?"

"I'm not certain," the professor explained. "Cerebro detected a few odd signatures in Antarctica, and I sent her to investigate."

"Antarctica?" asked Reese.

"Iz that even possible?" Jacquelyn exclaimed.

The professor smiled. "I've been asking myself the same question for a while, but I suppose that we will know when arrives. At the most, she's going to ensure that Cerebro did detect something. If something goes wrong, I'm certain that she can handle herself."

Masato wasn't assured. He stormed off, not even sure of where he was going. Reese wondered if one of them should follow, but Xavier touched his shoulder.

"No," the professor said. "Let him go. He's just concerned for her, but I assure you that she will be fine."

Reese nodded, not certain about any of it. "All right."

.:(SL):.

The jet finally came to a stop on the floe of ice, as near the coordinates as she could manage with her limited flight experience. A huge white dome was less than a kilometer away, but she was distracted by something that she could see on the horizon in the opposite direction.

Interested in what it was, she braced herself for the cold and headed out in the proper gear. She felt herself ready to flit out paper weapons if anything where to happen, but it most likely wouldn't. She was just ready to study with her mobile lab that she and Grant had set up earlier that morning, and the time here would give her a bit of a breather to actually figure something out. No interruptions.

It took her several minutes to actually see what was on the horizon, and even more to approach it. It was a rover built specifically for ice, and it looked like it had been recently moved. The trail headed northward, probably to the direction of the nearest research base. Based on the gear it housed, it looked like they had been scientists.

She looked in all directions, wondering why it was so abandoned. There was no one around for as far as she could see, which meant that something strange was going on. She felt a sudden need to return to the jet to inform Xavier.

So sudden was her need that she whipped out her wings. Paper folded out of her back and through the neck whole of her heavy coat, twisting and gathering until there were two wings at least twelve-feet across each. She papyrokinetically moved them, and she felt herself moving over the thick ice carefully. It was then that she noticed the almost fresh footprints in the fresh snow, and she was glad that the weather had been calm enough not to mask them.

She followed the footprints a few feet off the ground, flying faster than she would be able to run over the slick terrain. The severely cold air was rather hard to maneuver through, and she was lucky that it wasn't wet or snowing. Once again, Mother Nature had blessed her travels, and she didn't have to be a weather witch to get that blessing.

They lead all the way to the dome, and she considered stopping to tell Xavier of her findings. She pulled out her handheld radio communicator, ready to inform him. Despite the bad connection the handheld one would have, it should have been enough to get a message across if needed.

A sudden gust of hot air nearly frightened her into falling. So warm that it jarred her, but it wasn't scalding hot. Probably sixty or seventy degrees, but that didn't make sense. She followed it, glad for the sudden, unexplainable warmth as she touched down on the icy dome's surface. Her wings folded back into her papery body, beneath her clothes.

Before her was a crack about thirty feet across and very deep. She wondered why there was hot air coming from it, and why it seemed to not be melting the ice around it. It was a mystery to be sure, one she knew was going to have to investigate.

Paper folded out once more from the neck of her coat, wings thick enough to support her slow descent. She dropped slightly, angling her wings inward to get momentum before splaying them out to slow herself. The fall wasn't very long before she managed to land on a icy floor, somehow ending up in an icy hollow.

"Oh my," she said suddenly as she turned around.

It was no icy hollow. Just an icy outcropping that looked out over a huge swath of forest. The temperature was hot and humid, and it looked like an entire rain-forest below. It sounded like it was teeming with life, and Keiko instantly knew that this was where the source of the signals was coming from. But why would human/mutant-like signals be coming from this strange savage land?

She was giddy with excitement. There was a world of possibilities out there. Plants, animals, intelligent life forms. She wanted to know why there was a whole ecosystem in the middle of Antarctica, and her mind already was coming up with possibilities of where it had come from. A pocket of hot air that existed from pre-historic eras, formed by the ice? Running water that somehow carried from Pangea? Space aliens colonizing a piece of the earth's landmass, depositing a special device that preserved life in a desolate place, and then abandoning the earth again?

"No, it couldn't be that," she whispered, awestruck by the brilliance of the moment.

She could no longer contain herself, ready to explore. She hopped above the icy cliff and flew over the forest canopy, realizing that the trees were extremely tall, despite the initial appearance. She couldn't even see the bottom of the ground from the breaks in the leaves. A pyramid-like mountain of earth stuck above the tree-line and extended almost to the tops of the dome of ice above them. High plateaus stretched for what seemed like miles to the west, and it made the trees seem impossibly tall by comparison since she couldn't even see where the trunks began. A river ran over the tops of the highest plateau, dropping off the sides in huge waterfalls so wide and tall she couldn't see where they began.

She was studying one of the plateaus when something impossible happened. She watched in silent awe as a huge reptilian quadripedal creature that could only have been a brontosaurus appeared on its surface, chewing leaves.

"Wow."

Suddenly, a melodic sound erupted from somewhere nearby. It sounded like several whistles, somehow combined into one. It was impossibly loud, and she couldn't find its source.

But it didn't matter as several large dark objects spat from the canopy below her. It was a swarm of black birds with almost scaly wings, like an evolutionary step between birds and dinosaurs scientists didn't even know existed. She would have been in amazement until one of them rocketed towards her.

She spun at the last second, dodging the first strike, which only seemed to annoy it. Another whistling broke out and the lizard-birds attacked in one black, ferocious swarm. She was helpless as they bit and scratched at her, and she only barely held her papery-self aloft as she fell through the sky and into the trees below.

She held up the communicator and hoped the message would get through.

"Help!"

* * *

><p><strong>Evil cliffhangers are evil. <strong>

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter and the introduction of a few of the enemies. Until next time! And please review!**


	5. Chapter 5: Savage Mutations

**I told you I was back. Hopefully, I can update this frequently, at least until SL is over. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men: Evolution or any of its characters. I don't own any comic-book characters featured here. **

* * *

><p>Chapter Five:<br>Savage Mutations

Keiko stared at the communicator, praying that her message had been received. She flung her arms around, trying to push away the black reptilian birds who seemed to be attacking in one coordinated movement. Her wings were barely keeping her from falling completely, and the whistling noise kept getting louder and louder as she fell.

"Get away!" she screeched, flicking her wrist and throwing out a deadly paper shuriken. It sprouted from the bird's neck and it went down, but another quickly took its place.

_Rip!_

She screamed anew as her left wing was torn to pieces by a reptilian talon, and she hurtled downward like a spiraling plane.

_Think, Keiko, think! _she thought right before she hit the canopy, the leaves and brambles narrowly avoiding skewering her.

She heard a voice briefly say, "My turn." But the mutant didn't have time to be alarmed, as the branches around her suddenly whipped out and grabbed her, wrapping her like barky ropes. They squeezed, squeezed until she couldn't catch her breath.

The branches shifted until she was suddenly looking at a wooden pathway, seemingly carved right out of the tree. Her eyes settled on five figures, shocking her nearly to death.

One was a very short older man with a very skinny form, dressed in a pair of raggedy slacks and a dirty white lab coat. The top portion of his head seemed to bulge out, as though holding an abnormally large brain. The man was sitting there with his harms held behind his back, and Keiko wondered why he was being so proper as he watched her get captured.

Standing next to him was a young girl, probably only thirteen or fourteen. She had light green skin, a petite figure, and naturally black-green hair. Her eyes burned crimson as she stared at the woman, holding out her hands. The branches seemed to move with her every breath.

The next was a young woman dressed in only a small dress made of worn fabric. She might have just needed to shave her entire body, if not for the lupine claws attached to her furry silver arms, and the tail wagging behind her. She sniffed excitedly, held back only by a hand on her thick, muscled shoulder.

The one next to her, holding her shoulder, was a taller, lanky man dressed in what might have once been a burlap sack. It took her a moment to realize that the whistling had been coming from him, and even longer to realize that he had been controlling those birds with his whistles. The man's blue eyes looked at her cruelly.

The last figure was perhaps the strangest of all. He was taller and heavier built than the rest, but his skin was scaly green. Only a tan loincloth covered his lower half, and his body was quite distorted. He looked strangely like a cross between a pterodactyl and a man, and he was quite possibly the scariest thing she had ever seen before.

"Let me down!" she screamed, trying to struggle. The bonds only got tighter, and she couldn't help but feel rage towards the chlorokinetic girl who was holding her so tightly. "Please!"

"Ah, begging," the pterodactyl man said. "I haven't heard that since last night with those researchers."

"Oh, Sauron, no need to be nostalgic," said the man who had been whistling. He made a light screech with his voice, and the reptile-birds flew away. "I'm sure that you will have your fill of begging soon enough."

"Eh, Piper, you're probably right," the pterodactyl man said as he took a step towards Keiko. The woman tried to control her papery self to cut free, but she only ended up tightening her bonds.

"Enough," the brainy-man said, pointing in the direction Keiko had come from. "Sauron, search the perimeter. See if there's anything worthy of note outside."

The man looked like he was going to argue, but the brain-man looked Sauron in the eye for an instant. The reptilian man's yellow eyes glazed over and he obediently flapped his wings and was gone in an instant.

"Yes, Brain-child," he said as he disappeared.

"What do you want from me?" Keiko cried out, holding on for dear life.

"We simply want answers," Brain-child said, stepping close enough so that he could observe her body. After a brief moment, he reached out and touched the image inducer on her left wrist, instantly showing her papery form, like mummy wrappings folded together. "Interesting. What are you?"

She didn't want to answer anything he said, but the man locked eyes with her. Instantly, she felt like obeying him. "I'm a mutant."

The four figures gasped, especially the young girl. Keiko watched the girl's almost somber expression, and she wondered what the girl was thinking.

"Ah," Brain-Child said. "That's very interesting. A mutant, you say? We haven't seen one of those since our Creator visited us a few weeks ago."

_Creator? _She wondered.

"So she's a mutant," said the girl, her eyes no longer soft. The girl swallowed and looked up with determination. "So what?"

The one called Piper patted the plant-girl on the back. "I figured you of all people would be most interested, since you are the only mutant in these parts, Pollen."

_So they aren't mutants? Then what are they? _thought Keiko.

"It's no matter, Pollen," Brain-Child said with an almost bored voice. "How did you get here?"

Keiko could barely hold herself together as he influenced her to answer again. She wondered if Brain-Child had a kind of telepathy or hypnosis power. "I flew here in a jet. It's waiting outside. I'm working on a research project as we speak, and I'd really like to get back to it."

_Damn,_ she thought. _How is he making me tell all?_

"Oh, you can't leave the Savage Land," Piper said with a sadistic smile.

Brain-Child gave him a tempering look. "Settle down." He looked back to Keiko. "Now, would you please kindly explain what your research entails? Perhaps you can help us help you."

"I'm working on a virus that can force the body to produce mutant anti-bodies to fight diseases like cancer and AIDS," she explained, cursing herself for having to explain. "I call it the Legacy Cure."

You could have heard a pin-drop in the forest. Even the wolf-like woman who didn't seem to understand anything seemed to be thinking.

"You mean, you can cure cancer?" asked Piper, suddenly interested.

Keiko frowned. "I don't know if it will work or not, but theoretically, yes."

The four figures before them turned to each other, sharing a glance as though they were having a private conversation. She tried to study their faces, to see what they were thinking.

Brain-Child turned to her.

"Can you cure us?"

.:(SL):.

Aug stared ahead, listening to the new album by the single greatest recording artist that ever lived.

"Baby-"

Masato tsked, nearly getting up from his recliner. "Seriously? You're listening to Justin Beiber?"

Aug was about to protest when Jackie walked into the room, feeling refreshed from her run. "Did someone mention the Biebs?"

The two smiled at each other before immediately bursting into song. Masato sighed, wishing that his powers also included shutting people up.

"I am surrounded by idiots."

He got up, trying to block out the sound of obnoxiously catchy songs as he headed upstairs, wishing for something to do. The older students were all out shopping, and Xavier had wanted them on chore duty. Masato finished his share of the work early, and a nap in the mid-afternoon sun was a nice breather.

He was walking by the planning room, and something started to catch his ear. And no, it wasn't the lyrics to an annoying song. It was something much worse.

"Keiko! Can you read me?" Xavier's voice exclaimed over the radio. "What's wrong?" A loud whistling noise erupted from the room, making Masato cringe.

He thrust open the door, worried now for the woman's safety. "What's going on, Professor?"

Xavier gulped, pointing to the communicator on his desk. "She called out for help, and Cerebro detected more strange activity. I think something wrong may have happened."

Masato didn't even think. No one messes with Masato's friends, especially Watahari-sama. "Send us, Xavier. We need to help her!"

The man thought for a moment. "This is an inopportune time for Storm to be away from the mansion. She took the Velocity, our only other operable vehicle."

"Well, let's get a flight, Xavier! You know we have to help her!" Masato exclaimed.

"Ah, but the airport is not the way to do it. It's not even possible to fly to Antarctica, unless one has a pass to do so."

The Japanese mutant sighed. "Isn't there something that you and all of your money can do? Maybe Storm can fly back now, or-"

"Stop," he interrupted, automatically making Masato angrier than he was before. "I'm just as worried as you are, but we've gotten ourselves into a predicament." He rolled his chair behind his desk and reached for the phone. "Just give me a moment."

Masato refused to budge. The professor looked at him expectantly as he dialed a number, but the geo-absorber stubbornly planted his feet.

"All right," he said, but then got cut off when the person on the other end picked up. He sighed as he answered, "Yes, this is Charles Xavier… Yes, ma'am, I'm in need of assistance... That's classified, ma'am, but I need a jet here as soon as possible. No, ma'am, I'm not crazy." At this point, Xavier pressed a finger to his temple and concentrated. Masato frowned at the display of the telepath abusing power, but then remembered that this wasn't a time for games. "So it will be here within the hour? That's great… I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't tell your supervisors… Thank you, Miss Hill, and have a nice day." Xavier hung up the phone before sighing. "Remind me next time, Mr. Kimura, not to let both of our flight capabilities out of the mansion at once."

"Sure, whatever," Masato said, ready to save her. "Should I go and get the others?"

Xavier sighed, thinking carefully. For a short moment, he eyed the boy up and down, as though sizing him up.

Masato guessed what he was thinking, and he didn't have to read minds to tell. "You don't want to send us, do you? You'd rather the older kids do it."

Xavier cringed. "Very perceptive of you, Masato. No, I don't think it would be a good idea to send you four. You don't have the same experience that the others have, and something may go wrong."

"Something is already wrong, Xavier!" Masato yelled, not caring how loud is was. "She could be hurt out there or worse! The X-Men aren't even at the mansion right now, and the jet you illegally 'borrowed' will be here soon! It's time to act, or else the situation could get worse. Send us, Xavier. We might be inexperienced, but until we get some action, we'll never grow."

Xavier took a deep breath, staring into the fireplace for a long moment. He seemed to be miles away, and yet very aware at the same time. "All right. Go and get the team ready and prepped. We'll leave as soon as we can."

The Japanese boy was already moving toward the door when the word struck him. "We?"

"Did you think I wouldn't be coming along? That convention can wait. My family is at risk here," Xavier said with a smile.

Masato had to wonder how a paraplegic man was going to be any help in the wilderness of Antarctica, where the only minds around were their own.

.:(SL):.

"I'm excited," Jackie said, cracking her knuckles. Her French accent was only slightly bothering her. "This should be fun, I just wish there were better circumstances."

"Yeah," Reese agreed, adjusting his pack once more. The tight black leather spandex suits were pretty comfortable for short-term usage, like the time in a Danger Room exercise. He couldn't help but wonder if they would still be comfortable after a few hours on a plane-ride.

"Are these suits cold-resistant? Because I don't do cold too well," Aug said with a grimace, already imagining turning into an icicle. "Seriously, guys, does anyone know?"

"Who cares?" Masato asked bluntly, shifting his bag from one shoulder to the next. "Stop your yapping. Watahari-sama could be hurt, and you're complaining about your stupid suit."

Aug felt the heat rush to his face. "Okay, you're right. Sorry."

Jackie couldn't believe how blunt Masato could be. Out of all the Institute students, he was the roughest, second-only to Logan. She wondered why he called himself Stone-Heart, since he didn't seem to have much of a heart at all.

The door to the Institute opened and Xavier rolled down the ramp and onto the sidewalk in front of the angel fountain. "Listen up, children. This is not a drill. This is a real-life exercise, and the training that you have been doing will not help you if you lose your head while we are away. Be smart and think proactively. Stay together. We work as a team, or we don't work at all. Is that clear?"

All four of them, even Masato, said, "Yes, sir." As if on cue, they heard the sound of something streaking across the sky. A very similar vehicle to the X-M Velocity approached quickly and stopped right on the lawn, the propellers still spinning slightly as it touched down. Jackie looked on with a confused expression at the insignia on the door.

"What's that mean?" the French girl asked, pointing.

Reese looked at the symbol and said, "I've seen that before. I don't know where though." His memory was fuzzy and clouded, but he knew that the symbol was familiar.

Xavier clapped Jacquelyn and Reese on the back as he met them. "Who it is does not matter. The only thing that matters is that this is our ride to the bottom of the world."

They climbed aboard, the pilot not paying any attention to them. Jackie wondered if that was Xavier's telepathic way of controlling people. He must not have wanted them to know we used them.

"Xavier, are you sure it's okay to leave the others here alone?" asked Reese with an almost concerned look at the mansion. Jackie smiled at Reese's "always gotta be the papa-bear" quirk.

"Oh, no worries. I have left explicit instructions for the others," explained Xavier.

When he didn't elaborate, the four of them shared a glance. What did that mean?

Suddenly, the heli-jet lifted into the sky and took off, the propulsion strong enough to jar all of them as they sped south, a mission on their minds.

.:(SL):.

"Hello?" asked Grant, a little surprised that the others weren't here. Alex walked in with a confused look on his face, and the three Riveras split up to search for any stragglers.

"The young ones aren't here," Alex muttered with confusion.

Suddenly, Ava and Dean appeared at the top of the stairs. "Xavier's not here either."

"Guys, there's a note on the refrigerator," the voice of Kris called out. The five of them headed into the kitchen, where the orange-haired boy was studying the note. "It says: 'Children, please do not worry. I have left with the younger students on a mission of utmost importance. Something happened to Dr. Watahari, and we have left to investigate. Please, no house parties, no wild extravaganzas, and no joyrides. Storm will be arriving early tomorrow morning to watch over you, so you have the house to yourself for the night. Sincerely, Professor X.'"

"What do you think happened to the Doc?" asked Alex.

"I don't know, but I'm certain that she can handle herself," Rivera said, worried but calm.

"Yeah," Ava agreed. "She's one tough lady."

"Definitely," Grant, Kris, and Adeana said simultaneously, making them laugh.

"I still wish that we could do something to help," Alex said concernedly.

"Me too," Ava said with a slight frown.

.:(SL):.

Keiko kept her eyes open, ready for just about anything. She was being closely watched by all of these so-called "mutates." She asked why they even had powers through these "artificial mutations," and Brain-Child replied with a simple, "We owe the Creator everything."

"Who is the Creator?" she asked directly as the mutates headed through the thick jungle, through thick paths cut into the trees and across flat plateaus. It was amazing how high up they were, as the ground seemed to be miles away.

"The Creator is the man who created us and gave us renewed life," explained Piper, a creepy grin ever-present on his face. "He gave us our abilities and we owe him our lives."

Pollen rolled her eyes, flicking her wrist and opening a path in the trees for them. The branches folded away as though they were a door, a creaking sound as the wood popped out of place. "Yeah. He was some guy all right. You are all sick because of him."

Brain-Child gave her a very dirty look, and immediately, Pollen stiffened. Keiko wanted to ask what that was about, but before she could get the chance, another wall of leaves moved at the chlorokinetic's call, and their destination appeared.

She hadn't been able to tell where they had been taking her before, since the canopy was so thick and the light so dim. But now it was clear that the mutates were heading towards the mountain in the center of the domed forest. The path they were on extended down a few more trees, branch to branch, until it ended at a thick hole cut into the side of the mountain.

"Home sweet volcano," Pollen said with a grimace, the idea of heading into the mountain very bad to her.

"You mean you guys live in a volcano?" asked Keiko incredulously, and as if on cue, a blast of hot air seemed to wash over her. It was getting hotter the farther they went.

The beast-girl, whose name was Lupa, seemed to dash toward the entrance to the cavern. The mutate moved with such grace, agility, and confidence that Keiko had no doubt in her mind that the girl was strong. Her inner-scientist couldn't wait to study them, and if she didn't feel like she was kidnapped, she might have enjoyed the prospect.

"Yep," Piper said with a grin. "But it's actually quite roomy. You'll see."

As they reached the entrance, Lupa's excited pants could be heard like an echo inside, and the hot air rushed out of the opening like an oven.

"How do you live in this?"

"The Creator adapted us for extreme environments," Brain-Child said simply. Piper prodded Keiko on the back and the woman moved inside, already clawing for her sweat-soaked shirt.

The insides of the cavern walls were made of solid rock. So solid that it lacked many natural ridges, as though it had been carved. A string of electrical lamps headed into the depths of the cavern, and although Keiko had never had problems with claustrophobia before, she was feeling it now.

"So how am I going to be able to help you? Especially in this heat?"

Brain-Child gave her a grin. "Oh, I'll be there to help you every step of the way. You'll be finishing your experiment and will be crafting us a cure for the cancer that has been growing inside of us since we were given abilities. Thanks to advanced immune systems, we've been able to ward off the disease for a long while, but it's beginning to catch up with us. We need your help."

"And why should I help you, presuming that I can?" Keiko asked, testing them.

Pollen gave her a grim look, her face seemed to soften. Which was miles away from the sarcastic, no-holds-barred girl from a few minutes ago. "They are the only family I have, Keiko. And they will all die without your help."

The Japanese woman frowned, but the sincere face of the plant manipulator was enough to make anyone give in. "All right. I'll do it. But under one condition."

Brain-Child raised an eyebrow, a little surprised that he had room to bargain. "And that is?"

"I will be allowed to leave when all of this is done," explained Keiko, thinking of the help that was hopefully along the way. "I'm nearing the end of my experiment as is, and then I can test it."

Keiko was turned down one of the many existing hallways, trying to avoid the heat as much as possible. The dim light from the geothermal electric lamps was barely enough to see.

"I can see the reason behind that," Brain-Child agreed. "But we'll see."

Piper suddenly shoved the papery body of Keiko, and she slipped inside a thick metal door. She barely had time to react when the door slammed shut, locking shut. The woman stepped up to the eye-slot, pleading for them to let her go.

Brain-Child, despite his short stature, was tall enough to reach the eye-slot. He locked eyes with the papyrokinetic, who instantly felt the tingling in her mind. She was now aware of his slight hypnotic mind control.

"You can only leave this room when I allow you to. You will not attempt to escape from the inside of this room, nor when you are away from this room. You are not allowed to use your powers for any reason, unless it aids in your quest for a cure," explained Brain-Child, his almost robotic voice very persuasive.

Keiko immediately relaxed, her brain literally unable to think of escaping. She collapsed into a heap on the rocky bench along the wall, painfully hard against her legs.

"Is it done?" asked Piper, the ever-present fox-like grin on his face.

"Yes," Brain-Child said as the three of them walked away from the cell, leaving her all alone.

The last thing Keiko saw before lying down was the face of a certain green-skinned girl, looking at her with pity and concern.

.:(SL):.

**Just so you know, I didn't forget about Sauron towards the end of the chapter. And Lupa is mute, since she's more beastly than human, so that's why her presence seems to be forgotten. The Savage Land Mutates are taken directly from the comic-books, although I tweaked their members a tad. **

**Just to explain their powers real quick:**

_**Brain-Child is the de facto leader, and he's got some serious mental manipulation abilities. His minor form of telepathy is more like a hypnotic persuasion, and he has a form of memory manipulation and retention in that he can remember every moment of his life and store selective things away. **_

_**Sauron is a power-hungry man who has a pterodactyl form that is only accessible if he has a constant supply of life force energy, which he steals from others with only a touch. He's very strong, very fast, and has the ability to fly. **_

_**Lupa is a little nuts. She's the most physically powerful member of the Mutates, as she has all the strength and speed of several species of predatory animals mixed, as well as a beast form. She relies only on her senses of smell and hearing for normal function, and both are extremely strong. She only listens to Piper. **_

_**Piper is a lot nuts. He's never seen without that creepy grin and he's an extremely powerful zoopath. Meaning that he can communicate with animals and control them for his bidding, but the human mind is too complex for his control. **_

_**And last, but certainly not least, is Pollen. She's the only mutant member of the SL Mutates, and that will come into play in further chapters. She is a chlorokinetic, meaning that plants are her play-ground. Not all about her is what it seems. **_

**Do you like so far? I hope to get some action in the following chapters. And if all goes according to plan, there will only be two to three more chapters before we can get back to Redux!**

**Please review! **


	6. Chapter 6: Savage Past

**Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from X-Men: Evolution or from Marvel Comics. **

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Six:<em>  
><em>Savage Past<em>

Keiko sat in front of the microscope, staring at the slide. She was getting results, and if not for the look on the plant-manipulating girl's face, she wouldn't be helping them.

"Speed it up!" Sauron cried out, who had been sitting on a comfortable chair ever since he returned from bringing the lab equipment out of the jet.

"I'm doing the best that I can," she said, moving as fast as her paper-like fingers could move her. She hadn't bothered turning on her image inducer again, as it was only a nuisance at the moment.

Pollen, the plant-manipulator, stared ahead lazily. "Sauron, why don't you go and find something else to do? You're only crowding her workspace. When we need to move her back to the cell, I'll come and get you."

At the word 'cell,' Keiko grimaced.

The pterodactyl-hybrid scoffed. "Fine. As soon as you're done with that cure for us, I'm going to drain you dry. Because you're a mutant, you'll last longer." He shot a sadistic grin at Pollen, who stared down at the floor. Was that shame?

As soon as Sauron left the tiny room, Keiko took a deep breath as she continued to work on the cure. "What's your real name, Pollen?"

The girl shot her eyes up, looking at the woman curiously. "I don't remember."

"I doubt that," Keiko said. "Surely you have one."

The girl gulped and looked down again. "It's Haley. Haley Venta."

Keiko smiled. "Okay, Haley. That's more like it." After a moment of figuring out what she was going to ask, she turned back to the girl. "I'm going to have to ask you some questions. I need to know most of these because it will help me help the others. Can you do that for me?"

Haley looked at her with another curious look. "Depends on the question, I guess."

"All right. I need to know everything you know about this guy they worship. He's a real person, isn't he?"

"I don't see what this has to do with curing them," she said automatically, getting defensive once more. But her eyes told a different story. Keiko wondered how many issues this girl really had.

"But it has everything to do with it," explained Keiko. "I need to know what he did to them to give them their powers. That's what they mean when they say that he 'created' them, right?"

She nodded. "Yes." Keiko noticed that she was rubbing her arms strangely, the green skin looking odder than usual at first glance.

"And how did he do it?"

Haley gulped again, staring at the floor. She was uncomfortable with the topic, and she was holding herself tightly. Keiko put down her research and walked over to her.

"You know you can trust me, right? Honestly, you can," Keiko said. "I come from a school where I teach young people like you learn to control their powers. I love each and every one of them, as if they were my own. And you remind me so much of them. How old are you?"

Haley mumbled, "Thirteen."

Keiko chuckled. "Then Jacquelyn would like you very much. You both are the same age, and I think you would really get along."

Haley hesitated a moment before smiling slightly.

"Now that's more like it," Keiko said. "Now, can you please tell me what you know? It will help me tremendously if you do."

Haley stared into the woman's eyes before unlocking her arms from her chest. The Japanese woman turned her arms over and gasped at the scars at the junction of the elbow. It looked like some very large needles had been used on her frequently, and Keiko had an idea of how this 'Creator' guy gave the mutates abilities.

"Oh, you poor thing," she said, pulling the girl close. Haley didn't know how to react at first, but after a long moment, she embraced the woman back. Keiko was glad for the trust. "I'm so sorry."

Keiko pulled back and didn't let go of the girl's shoulders. "Can you tell me what happened? How did you get here?"

Haley froze, a flashback attacking her mind.

.:(SL):.

_She was walking home from school, feeling ready to get back to her mother and the greenhouse. It was her favorite place in the world, where she and her mom worked on flowers and shrubs and ferns together. _

_It was getting dark, and the streets were empty. She felt chilly, so she pulled the jacket closer to her and kept walking. _

_She heard a slight noise from behind her, like a rattling. She turned in worry, but it was nothing. Haley picked up the pace, knowing her house was just a few blocks away. _

_Another sound rang out, this one sounding somewhat like clinking keys. She looked back but did not stop moving, now getting frightened. When the light pole suddenly bent, she froze. _

"_What?" she asked herself, but when it suddenly ripped from the sidewalk and chased after her, she ran. _

_More metallic objects chased her, and she felt completely alone. Her house was now in sight, way down the road at the end of the street. Could she make it in time?_

_She ran full speed, the fact that the roads were downhill working her favor. But she could still hear the clinking and rattling of metal behind her. She made the mistake of looking back, and that's when she tripped and hit the pavement hard. _

.:(SL):.

"The next thing I knew, I was here," explained Haley, tears flowing from her eyes. "The man strapped me to a machine and it started taking my blood. The others were all around me, strapped to the same machine. There was purple light, and I-" She was about to continue, but Keiko shook her head and held Haley close again.

"It's going to be okay," Keiko said caringly. "I know it feels like I've been pressuring you for answers, but how long have you been here?"

Haley sobbed, before rubbing her eyes. "Four years. I don't even remember much from home, or even where I lived. I didn't even know I was a mutant, but he said that my blood would bring him glory over the humans."

"Shh," the scientist said, embracing her once more. "It's okay. It's all going to be okay."

As Keiko comforted the girl, only one thing was on her mind: revenge. Revenge for what that megalomaniac did to her, revenge for taking a girl away from her mother.

.:(SL):.

"This is impossible," Augustus said in awe.

"Definitely," Reese agreed.

"How does this place exist?" Masato questioned.

"I don't know, but it could be fun to explore," Jacquelyn said, itching to run down the slope and into the trees.

The Savage Land was stretched before them, jungles and mountains mystifying them. The fact that there was life in such harsh conditions fascinated them all, and only Aug and Xavier were trying to justify it.

Xavier was in awe, but his wheelchair was inaccessible. Even he knew it. "Kids, I think I'm going to have to go back up and stay with the heli-jet. It frightens me that the lab station in the Blackbird was stripped out, and it doesn't look like Keiko did it in a hurry. Maybe there will be a clue up there."

Reese pointed up. "Let me go with you. I can protect you if something goes wrong up there."

He shook his head. "No, you need to stay down here with the others. You four are to stay together. Work as a team, and keep your training in mind. Anything can happen here, and nothing is as it seems anymore. Just be careful. I'm going to try to stay in contact with you."

The others nodded. "Yes, sir. We'll be careful," Reese answered.

Xavier nodded. "I know you will."

.:(SL):.

Haley and Keiko suddenly broke apart the motherly embrace when the sound of footsteps approaching reached their ears.

"Ah," said the voice of Brain-Child, who walked into the door. "How goes the research? Are you going to be able to cure us soon?"

Piper and Lupa were nowhere to be seen, and Sauron was standing behind the brainy mutate as though a bodyguard.

"It goes well," Keiko said, suddenly getting up and returning to the microscope. "Although, I've come to the conclusion that I'm not sure exactly how I can cure you. Cancer isn't an easy thing to fix."

Brain-Child raised an eyebrow. "But you can do it. The anti-body you call the Legacy Cure theoretically could wipe out cancer cells before they even form. As long as you can make that anti-body, you should be able to fix us."

"In theory," explained Keiko. She wanted to question them about the machine Haley had mentioned, but she was worried that any information she knew that she wasn't supposed to know might get the girl in trouble.

The de facto leader of the mutates sighed. "Sauron, perhaps she needs some incentive."

The pterodactyl mutant smiled excitedly and walked towards Keiko. The papyrokinetic mutant backed up, but with somewhat blinding speed, Sauron latched onto her paper-like arm. Keiko tried to push him off, but as soon as the effects of his absorbing touch activated, she felt woozy. Too woozy to knock him away with her powers.

It only lasted a second, but it was enough to drain her to the point where she could barely stand. Haley couldn't hide her scared look very well, and Keiko tried to warn the other mutant to remain impassive with her eyes right before she collapsed. The plant-girl seemed to take a hint after a short moment.

Brain-Child leaned over the papery-mutant. "There. That will teach you to play games. Get back to work."

And with that, Brain-Child and Sauron walked over to the wall and leaned against it, watching Keiko struggle to get up. Haley looked scared and wanted to help, but she was more scared of that draining touch.

.:(SL):.

"How are the trees this huge?" asked Augustus, wondering how any of it was logical.

"I don't know, but we've been walking for an hour," explained Masato. He couldn't shake the queasiness in his stomach. "And we aren't getting any closer to anywhere."

They had found a path worn into the trees and were now walking through the canopy, from branch to branch. Jacquelyn was the only one who seemed to be having fun, as she kept walking with feline grace along the thinner pathways, like some kind of acrobat.

"Oh, come on," she said, smiling. "It's not that bad."

"You've never had earth powers, have you? It's literally making me sick to be away from the ground," Masato complained. "I can still feel it here, through the trees and their roots, but it's too faint. Whenever we can get out of the trees, I'll be happy."

Jacquelyn suddenly stopped, and since she was in the lead, the others almost stumbled and knocked her off. "I smell something. Something odd."

Aug suddenly pulled his nostrils together, pointing. "Look! It's some huge mound of dung." Down on a plateau far to their right, there was a huge pile of droppings. Very huge.

"Hey, there's your land, Masato," Reese said, smiling.

"Can we go down there? If we don't get down soon, I won't be able to go much farther," Masato asked.

"Do you see any way to get down from here?" Aug questioned. "And besides, do you really want to head towards the animal crap?"

He had a point, much to the Japanese boy's chagrin.

Suddenly, they heard a screech. It was faint, but enough to freak them out.

"What was that?" asked Aug, worried.

"It sounded like a bird," Jacquelyn said, her enhanced ears trying to pick up on the source. When she heard a faint whistling noise, her jaw dropped. "There's something else too. It sounds too coordinated to be an animal."

After a brief moment, the sound reached all their ears. It suddenly got louder and louder, and in another minute, they saw them.

The creatures came out of nowhere, an entire swarm of black reptilian birds. They were moving with coordination, flying straight towards them through the branches.

"Oh, god!" Aug yelled, backing up towards the main tree. He clambered against the bark, trying to avoid the flock before they got there. Soon enough, they were all against the same tree.

But it didn't help. The birds were coming after them, like it or not. The whistling sound picked up as they attacked.

Reese summoned a purple shield, protecting him and Aug. Masato used what limited earth energy he could get to transform his arms into their black forms, and used them to intercept the blows of the talons. Jacquelyn went into tiger mode and managed to slash at one, tearing off one of their wings. It fell to the ground, but another took its place.

"We've got to push them back!" Aug yelled from behind Spartan's shield, but it was only helping so much. Each time a bird hit the purple energy, Reese tensed.

"But how? There's so many of them!" Reese yelled, trying to push his shield forward. He knocked into one of them hard, pushing it back, but another took its place and forced him back against the tree.

"Xavier, now would be a good time to help!" Masato yelled, flinging out a stony fist and breaking into a hard scaly beak. The reptile was thrown out of the way, but soon enough, two more took its place.

_All I know is that they are under someone's control_, Xavier said, the sound of his straining in their minds. _I can't influence them directly, but I can't get at the source. You've got to somehow eliminate the source._

"The whistling!" Aug yelled, pulling a sizeable branch off of the tree. He scoured the area from behind Reese's shield, and after a brief moment, he saw a man with auburn hair standing in a branch of a tree over a football field away. "There! Reese, when I give you the cue, drop the shield. I'm going to hit him with this!"

The mutant began to spin in place, secured behind Spartan's shield. Spindle began to look like a blurry vortex, and after a brief moment, he shouted a distorted, "Now!"

Spartan dropped the shield for a brief moment, and Spindle's branch launched from his hands, spinning very rapidly. Reese recalled the shield at the last moment as the boy stopped spinning, waiting for the result.

The auburn haired man didn't even see it coming, and the branch hit him hard against the side of the head. The whistling stopped, and almost immediately, the bird flock flew away. They watched with anger as the man disappeared.

"That was surprisingly ingenious," Masato said with a newfound respect for Aug.

"You know, Stone-Heart, you never give me enough credit."

"Don't push it."

"So he was controlling the animals somehow?" Tigress said, shifting back into human form.

"So it seems," Reese answered.

_Yes, it appears that Cerebro was right_, Xavier said. _Odd things are at work here._

"Definitely," the French girl murmured.

Before they could go any farther, a shadowy figure suddenly dropped from a higher branch and tackled into Jacquelyn. Just before she fell, Masato reached out to grab her, and the branch he was standing on snapped.

And in one brief moment, Tigress and Stone-Heart were falling after the shadowy figure.

Possibly to their deaths.

.:(SL):.

**So how'd you like the chapter? I know it was pretty short, but I hope it shed some light on who the "creator" is and how the mutates were created. **

**In the comic books, the Savage Land Mutates were created by Magneto using a similar process to the Gems of Cytorakk machine in the episodes/chapters "Cauldron." In my version, mutant blood (Pollen's) was used in concordance with the gems to give the mutates their powers. But sadly, they were given a cancerous disease for his efforts, which is why he abandoned them. In earlier chapters, I referenced him as though he had returned to the Savage Land recently, which connects the dots to him going into hiding after the season one finale. **

**I hope that you all read between the lines and picked up on that, so technically, the above is not a spoiler. Especially since Magneto won't be making an appearance in this, so the above information is more like a fun fact. **


	7. Chapter 7: Savage Separation

**Chapter Seven:**  
><strong>Savage Separation<strong>

Jaquelyn was aware that she was falling, but her bloodlust only let her think about the creature in front of her. At first, she would have thought it was some kind of big dog, like a wolf, but now, she realized it was humanoid. It was tall and lanky, with huge arms and a slender waist. It had a very large upper back, almost like a hump.

She morphed into her tiger form, hoping that it could take the fall better than her human one could. She shoved the creature in front of her with her claws, pushing it away. Thinking fast, she angled towards the tree and stuck out her claws.

She screeched out in pain, having to force herself to stay transformed. The bark was biting into the soft fur, and she knew she would be bloody at the end. She stuck out her feet, finally coming to a stop.

The furry form twisted in the air and bounced off of a tree, leaping through the air and landing softly on a nearby hill top. Then it growled at her, and her animal instincts told her to lunge. She pushed off, towards the enemy, and smacked right into a very thick Stone-Heart.

The two mutants tumbled over the hill, landing in heaps only a few feet from the enemy. The hybrid girl wasted no time, jumping straight for Jackie.

The tiger-girl flashed up and then leapt to the side, throwing the animal girl off balance.

"Who is this girl?" Masato asked, pressing his hands to the ground beneath him. After only a few fractions of a second, he had his usual full body armor covering. The only difference was its slightly gray color, as opposed to its usual black. Jackie didn't have time to ponder it as the creature continued its attack.

Tigress pounced, colliding with the girl's chest and knocking her backward. Stone-Heart to the advantage while the creature was pinned to race forward and slash the girl's hairy arm. After a brief splatter of blood, they watched in horror as she regenerated instantly, the wound completely healed.

"Just like Wolverine," Masato muttered.

Jacquelyn felt claws rake against her side, and she leapt off before it could get worse. Ignoring the throbs, she roared and then tackled into the creature, flinging it backwards several feet into a tree.

Masato ran up and punched the creature in the gut with his stony fist, but the enemy shrugged it off after only a moment. Before the creature could recover, Masato smacked it again, so hard that the wood splintered behind it.

He may not have super-strength, Jacquelyn noted, but his body has enough weight that it packs a punch.

The Japanese mutant hesitated for another moment, and that was all the time the mutate needed. The animal swung out with both feet and slammed into Masato's black stony chest, throwing him back several feet.

"Damn," the boy said. "I weigh more than a ton in this form!"

The creature suddenly spun on Tigress, leaping forward with claws out. Jackie tried to dodge it, but the blow made contact and she heard a bone pop under the sheer force. The tiger girl roared in pain loud enough that anyone within ten miles could hear her.

"Wow," the boy said as he slammed his shoulder into the mutate, flinging the animal hybrid halfway across the hilltop. "You okay?"

Jacquelyn shifted for a moment to answer him, itching to stint her possibly fractured bone. "Yeah, it just stings a bit." She yanked down on her shoulder with one arm, effectively relocating it with a pop. Her shout of pain was almost stifled.

"Did you just-?"

"Yeah," Jackie answered before he could finish the question. Masato stared at the tough girl with newfound respect, as she shifted again to take another blow.

.:(SL):.

"Are they going to be okay?" asked Aug again, as they traversed the treetops in pursuit of the mysterious enemy who had been controlling that group of birds.

Reese nodded, keeping his hands on his purple energy spear and shield just in case. He shifted from fighting stance to fighting stance, utilizing training that he could only get on Mojo's ship. "Yes, I promise. They landed fine, and they should be good. We've got more important things to worry about."

_Exactly,_ Xavier added. _They are battling one of these odd enemies right now, and as far as can tell, they are doing just fine. I've been trying to help them as best I can, but the energy within this place is disrupting my powers. I'm having trouble sustaining a connection. Spartan, Spindle, concentrate on following the other enemy. _

"Right, Professor," Reese said, leaping from one branch to the next. As soon as he did, his foot landed sideways on the barky arch, and he lost his balance.

Thinking quickly, a purple rope of energy appeared and wrapped around the branch and around his abdomen, securing him to the branch. He looked up cautiously, concentrating on the powers preventing him from falling. He dissipated the spear and shield he had been carrying to help focus.

"Reese! You okay?" Aug asked, hurrying over to him.

"Grab the rope and pull me up, Spindle," he said through clenched teeth. "I can't haul myself up."

Aug nodded curtly and then bent down, grabbing onto the thick cord of energy. It didn't burn or hurt like he thought it might, but it felt almost cold against his skin. After a momentary struggle, Spindle had hefted the muscular boy onto the thick branch, and the cords of energy disappeared.

Reese took a deep breath, trying to calm his beating heart. The adrenaline was pumping through his veins, messing with his mind.

"Are you okay?"

The boy nodded. "Yeah, just a little frazzled."

"Being frazzled is the least of your worries," said a voice. The two boys looked up in alarm, and a figure was approaching from a path carved into a tree up ahead. He had dark red hair and was very tall and lanky. Aug recognized him as the guy he had hit with the branch earlier.

Reese took a fighting stance in front of Aug, and then materialized his spear and shield. "You don't look so threatening."

The flamboyant man put his hands on his chest. "Maybe not, but my friends are."

Suddenly, the man whistled. It was a deep sound, like a low-pitched squeal. The two mutants looked at each other when nothing happened, but then they heard what could only be a footfall. And a heavy one at that.

"Whoa." Aug stared at the three figures fast approaching, tearing down trees as they went. There were suddenly three brontosaurus forming a triangle around them, the giant lizard dinosaurs with extremely long necks not looking very happy with them.

"No time to enjoy it, Spindle. Let's go!"

Reese yanked Aug out of the way as a sudden chirp from the mysterious man made the huge lizard slam the branch with his chin, snapping it in half. They jumped and landed on the next one in barely enough time.

"We've got to take him out!" Aug exclaimed, rushing out of the way as one of them tried to chomp down on them.

"I know! I'm working on it!" Reese said, flinging the spear at the zoopath. A sudden brontosaurus whipped its neck in the way, and the energy bounced harmlessly off of its thick hide. "Damn!"

"It's going to take more than that, children!" the mysterious man said in a sing-song voice, before humming softly.

Aug and Reese kept running, not sure how their powers were going to help them. The dinosaurs pursued them, and every once in a while, the zoopath could be seen heading towards them as well.

"Spindle, get that brain spinning! How are we going to get out of this mess?" Reese asked, leaping to another branch before running forward along the wood once more.

Aug, following close behind, was wondering the same thing. "We need to get to solid ground. Like, fast. Can you make a parachute?"

Reese's eyebrow rose. "Never thought about it." He hurled his spear at the zoopath, but it stuck harmlessly into the tree trunk behind the enemy. "I guess, it's possible. But it would take a lot of concentration."

Aug smirked. "Well, that's time we don't have." And with that, he jumped on Reese's back and the two of them fell off of the branch, plummeting towards the earth.

.:(SL):.

Keiko stared down at the slide, not sure if it were even possible. The cells were replicating. And replicating correctly. She stared at the blood cells on the computer and watched them grow the correct antibodies, but she looked at Sauron and Brain-Child uneasily. Haley was watching her intently, and the girl already knew that something had changed. For the better or worse, the little girl couldn't tell.

"Geez, can you go any faster? This is taking way too long," complained the pterodactyl hybrid. "Can't I make her work faster, Brain-Child? Her life force is so tasty!"

"No," the de facto leader said, staring at the woman ahead with his hands behind his back. "She's not going to work faster. Your first zap has already made her fatigued. Another would simply stop her from functioning, and we need her to finish this."

Suddenly, they all heard the whistle. It was loud enough to echo through the hollow walls of the volcano.

Brain-Child and Sauron shot up from their lazy positions, and Pollen seemed a little shell-shocked. Keiko knew that that sound was bad news, as she had experienced it herself.

"It seems we have company," the leader said with a grimace towards the scientist.

"Ooh! I wonder if they are powerful!" Sauron said, itching for a fight.

_Keiko,_ the professor's voice called out.

_Charles!_

_There's so… int-erence, bu- the kids- their way- elp._

_Professor! _She called out, but the connection ended. It was only then that she realized Brain-Child was staring straight at her.

"A telepath? Someone's been helping you!"

Keiko shook her head as Sauron stalked towards her. "No, I swear. I'm helping you!"

The hybrid rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure. Someone's attacking Piper out there, and Lupa hasn't been back here in a while. And now, Brain-Child says there's someone helping you."

"Who's helping you?" the hypnotic leader said, his eyes locked onto hers. She felt his compulsion pushing her to answer, but before she could open her mouth, she suddenly felt Xavier pushing back on her mind.

_Tell him that you've completed the virus,_ Xavier exclaimed. _Then get out of there. Take the girl with you. _

"It's done," she said, pointing to the screen. "Your cure is complete. Please, let me and the girl go. That was the deal."

Brain-Child looked at Pollen suspiciously. "The girl? I don't remember that being part of the deal."

"Yeah, why would you want her? She's just a good for nothing loser," Sauron spat. Haley shuddered.

"The good-for-nothing loser that gave you your powers, and your cancer," explained Keiko. "That's right. All the power Magneto gave you came from her, since he used her mutant blood to bind genes to your perfectly human ones. But the process was flawed, like your 'Creator's' ideals. Cells replicated wrong, and that's why you are dying."

Brain-Child looked like a deer caught in headlights, but it dissipated when he looked to Pollen's scared face. Her green skin looked clammy. "Ah, so you've been talking. Sauron, teach her a lesson." The girl flinched and tried to back away, but she was already against a wall.

Keiko raised her hand and focused, trying to push past the hypnosis that Brain-Child had put her under. She felt unable to use her powers, but the drastic look on Haley's face was so powerful. She felt resolve to save her, and she'd do anything to do it.

Just before the pterodactyl could touch her, three tendrils of paper unraveled from her forearm and wrapped around Sauron's arms, binding him in place. Pollen looked on, mystified as the mutate and the mutant struggled.

"How'd you break my hypnosis?" Brain-Child asked aloud, suddenly afraid.

Keiko didn't let either mutate take advantage of the situation. She focused on her powers and then waved her hand through the air, throwing several paper shuriken. Brain-Child side-stepped the first and then hid behind a boulder, and the paper shuriken stabbed right into the stone.

Sauron pushed against the bindings and yanked himself out, and then leaped for Origami, hands outstretched and glowing with red energy.

Keiko flinched backward and shaped her arms into twin paper blades, sharp enough to cut through solid rock. She swung her arms adeptly, right into the oncoming pterodactyl hybrid.

Sauron slightly unfurled his wings in order to twist in mid air, dodging the strike. But she countered with another and cut a gash into his shoulder, and the reptilian man screeched. Purple blood oozed down the papery weapon.

In his anger, he grabbed the paper blade and suddenly, she felt the usual draining effect.

"Damn!" she uttered out, folding the blades back into herself and leaping backward at the same time, before he could take too much more energy.

Brain-Child stood up from the boulder and locked eyes with her. She found herself unable to look away, and for a long moment, the only thing she could think of was the blue of his eyes. She felt herself drawn to him, and she no longer cared if Sauron touched her. She no longer cared what happened to Haley.

She no longer cared about her life.

_Fight it! _Xavier's voice said, but she wasn't aware any more. She stood still, waiting for the inevitable.

Brain-Child smugly crossed his arms. But as he did so, he suddenly dropped to the ground with a shout, and the concentration was stopped. Keiko felt herself fly out of a daze, and she felt woozy.

Sauron spun around to see Pollen standing behind Brain-Child, holding a rather large rock in her hand. The girl was staring down at the leader with a look of pure disgust, and Keiko was proud. To a degree.

_Get out of there! Take the girl and run! _Xavier shouted once more, and she nodded, even though she wasn't sure he could see her.

Sauron seemed flabbergasted and the hesitation was all she needed. Keiko slid past the pterodactyl man, crossed the lab-like room, and grabbed Haley's hand.

"Come on, you're coming with me. We need to get out of here," the woman said, and the girl remained rooted to the floor.

"What have I done?" she muttered, staring at the rock in her hands. Keiko tried to avoid looking at it.

"Don't worry, Brain-Child will be fine," Keiko said with urgency, yanking Haley out of the door. Sauron was following, but only just. He was worried over his leader. "Let's go. Please."

The girl nodded slightly and hurried behind Keiko, towards the door and out of the volcano.

.:(SL):.

**I truly hope that chapter didn't suck as much as I think it might have. Please, let me know with a review! **

**Only one more chapter until we get back to Redux! Which I already have the first chapter of written, and I'll soon be working on the second. **


	8. Chapter 8: Savage End

Chapter Eight:  
>Savage End<p>

The energy parachute ride was rocky at best, and both Reese and Aug never wanted to do it again. They landed hard on the ground just below the base of the mountain, thankful that they had gotten away from the brontosaurs.

"Come on! I see the entrance to the cave," Aug said behind him, urging them both forward. They had seen someone running into it a moment ago, and it must have been the person who had been chasing them, and had been controlling the creatures. The whistling had stopped, so both were glad that the brontosaurs weren't going to follow them.

The young mutants were almost at the mouth of the cave when a blurry figure rushed past them at inhuman speed, before turning at the last moment and growling. Spartan barely had time to look at the creature before it growled, its dark fur almost blending into the darkness of the cave mouth.

A roar erupted from behind, and a flash of white pounced over both of them, before stopping on its haunches, ready to pounce. Reese was happy to see the white tiger before them.

"Oh, I'm glad you're safe," Aug said.

"Sure," said a voice, and the two boys looked to see the Japanese boy add himself to their circle of four around the cavern, around the beast before them. "We nearly didn't get here." He cracked his almost gray-colored knuckles.

"Aren't you usually black when you use your powers?" asked Aug.

Masato shrugged. "The earth feels… more distant here."

Reese smirked, looking at Stone-Heart. _Sounds like someone else I know._

That's when they heard voices and the sound of hurried footsteps. From around a corner, the form of a papery woman and a green-skinned girl appeared, hurrying along. They weren't paying attention and almost ran right into the beastly girl, who had since diverted its attention to their approach.

The beast turned and was about to rush towards them, but Tigress growled in opposition as if to say, "Oh no you don't!" The tiger leapt and slammed the beast against the wall of stone, and Keiko and the girl ran past.

Masato immediately sped forward, fist out and ready to punch into the green girl's form, but Origami's hand clenched around his wrist.

"No. Haley's with me, with us," the woman said firmly. "I'm so glad to see you, but let's get out of here before the others catch up."

They all agreed, just as Tigress used her powerful arms to smash the beast-like Lupa against the wall, knocking the enemy unconscious. But before they could move a step, a cold voice stopped them.

"Ah, so the whole team's here," the voice of an approaching short figure, followed by the man who had been controlling the animals and a pterodactyl-like hybrid man. "Are these your friends, Origami?"

The papery mutant frowned. "Like you need to know. You have your cure, Brain-Child. Let us go, and we'll never bother you again."

"See, I can't do that," he said, pointing to the plant-like girl. "You can't take her, because she belongs to us." Haley seemed to stand a bit more closely to Keiko, and although the other mutants did not know her story, the New Mutants formed a tight circle around her, preparing to fight.

"No, she doesn't," the Japanese woman answered. "She is a mutant, not a mutate. Her powers were the catalyst for your own abilities, but she was taken here against her will, Brain-Child. She doesn't belong here, in this place."

The intelligent mutate laughed slightly. "You do realize that I'd only have to concentrate, and you would simply give her up."

Knowing Xavier was nearby, and already guessing what kind of abilities that a guy named 'Brain-Child' must have, Reese stepped up. "Why don't you just try?"

The brainy mutate did not like the fact that he was challenged. Almost immediately, a daze fell over the six mutants, and they were locked in eye-contact. But just as quickly as it had come, the Professor's influence was felt in the area, and they broke out of their trance.

"Damn those telepaths," Brain-Child muttered, before turning to his two lackies. "Get them!"

Sauron suddenly flew out and over them, just as the whistles from Piper filled the air. The mutants braced themselves.

"Don't let the pterodactyl man touch you. It drains your energy!" Keiko yelled, morphing her arms into blades of paper. The others nodded.

Reese summoned a spear made of purple energy and handed it to Masato. "Here, throw this at the flying guy."

The stony boy's eyebrow rose, but he seemed to understand it after a moment. He gripped the purple weapon and lifted it over his shoulder, aiming it just as the flying mutate dove from a hundred feet above them, aiming for the plant-like girl.

The weapon arced through the air with impressive speed, but the green, scaly man turned and rolled, just like a fighter jet. The spear dissipated as it hit the stone of the mountain.

"It's going to take more than that, kiddies!" the hybrid shrieked with a serpentine voice, and then dove towards them once more.

Origami flicked her wrist and sent a volley of super-sharp paper ninja stars, but the deadly projectiles were only enough to make him stop his assault.

Footsteps loomed behind them, and for a long moment, no one moved. The only sound was the growling of Tigress and the shouts of annoyance from Brain-Child as he tried to extend his hypnotic influence and was blocked at every turn by the Professor.

They were shocked beyond belief as a huge dinosaur stepped from the trees, howling loudly and making them shudder. Its teeth were long enough that everyone was getting a little sick. The tyrannosaurus rex rushed toward them with heavy footsteps at the beck and call of the zoopath.

"We've got to take out the animal guy!" Reese yelled, but Jacquelyn seemed to have read his mind. She rushed at the tunnel, where Piper was backtracking. Just as she was about to reach him, she was struck in the side by the animal girl Lupa, and the two began another struggle for dominance.

By this time, Sauron was diving down once more, and the T-Rex was almost up the slope.

Reese bared himself and formed a sword and shield, and Masato absorbed a bit more energy from the earth, his gray body with a new sheen. Origami sighed and prepared for the worst, while Aug tried to calculate how everything would turn out.

Sauron shouted out a battle cry just as the T-Rex was mere feet away, and the two converged at one time. Keiko opened her fists suddenly and three paper tendrils lashed out, two wrapped around the dinosaur's head and another around the wings of Sauron, and the pterodactyl man dropped like a rock.

Masato took the chance and leapt towards the T-Rex, thankful that he was high enough that he wouldn't have to jump very hard; moving around such a heavy weight while he had his powers activated was harder than it might have looked.

The Japanese mutant landed on the T-Rex's shoulder, digging his claws into the beast's neck to climb up. It shrieked and tried to throw him off, but Stone-Heart didn't give up and straddled the beast like a horse.

"Catch!" Reese yelled, abandoning his sword and shield for a long javelin, which he tossed to Masato.

The Japanese boy grabbed it, and using every bit of his weight as leverage, he slammed the energy spear into the creature's skull, and the T-Rex dropped after a shout, the momentum throwing him off.

"No!" Sauron yelled, not liking the fact that they were winning, and that he was bound. "Let me go!"

Origami walked over, adding more paper bonds to Sauron's body. "No, I don't think so." She turned suddenly and more tendrils whipped out and lashed at Brain-Child, and although the brainy mutate tried to run, Haley whipped in front of him and made him try to change directions. That moment of hesitation was enough for the paper to reach him, and the mutate dropped to the ground, yelling as he was captured.

Tigress and Lupa were still wrestling for dominance, biting and clawing at each other at the mouth of the cave. Piper was watching the whole thing, almost catatonic as his family was defeated one by one.

Jacquelyn suddenly backed up, surprising the furry mutate. It tried to rush her, but the tiger put its shoulder out and tackled into the creature, flinging her into the wall much harder than before, knocking her out cold.

Everyone took a deep breath of relief. "It's over, Piper," Origami said, gesturing to the bound enemies, who were shouting and struggling to be freed. Sauron had almost broke out of his bindings twice, but the papery woman added more bonds ever time he got close.

For a moment, it seemed like he was going to disagree. But fortunately, he nodded slightly. But Aug heard it as quickly as anyone else.

"He's humming!"

They watched with horror as a flock of those black lizard birds rose from the nearby trees and approached. But before they could even get close, vines and whole branches seemed to reach out for them, wrapping around their waists and entrapping them amongst the leaves.

Haley smiled meekly as they looked on her powers in appreciation.

Origami handed him a lump of heavy paper, and he began to spin, almost to the point where he became a blur. The wad launched and spun through the air, slamming against the zoopath's forehead with enough force to sling him against the rocks behind him, effectively knocking him unconscious.

"Let's get out of here! Professor, I know you're listening. Prep the jet!" Origami yelled.

_Already on it. Well done. _He answered back in their head.

"You'll never get away with this!" Brain-Child yelled.

"He's right, and I'll be back for revenge!" Sauron screeched, almost breaking out of his bonds again.

Haley waved her hands and thick, heavy roots shot from the earth and wrapped around the four mutates, binding them to the ground. "That should hold them for a long time."

"I would think so," Jackie agreed, glad to be back in her human form. "Let's get back. I'm ready for a nice, long shower."

They all agreed, traversing back to the exit of the dome with a sense of urgency, as though something else more dangerous would melt from the shadows of the trees.

.:(SL):.

Everyone was grateful to see the mansion approaching on the horizon. As the Jet pulled into the cargo bay door at the cliff and the Velocity landed underneath the tennis courts, everyone was almost too exhausted to move.

The elevator trip was quiet, and they were all a little worried about the awe on Haley's face. She was a little overwhelmed by it all, and they could tell that she was thinking about home, wherever that was.

When the elevator approached the first floor, as soon as it opened, the six members of the X-Men were waiting to greet them.

"How'd it go?"

"Are you all okay?"

"Who's that with you?"

"Everyone, I'd like you to meet Haley. She's going to be staying at the Institute with us for awhile. Haley, these are the senior students, the X-Men." They each introduced themselves and greeted her.

Grant pointed to the watch on his arm, before pressing a button and revealing his golden metallic skin. "I can make you one of these, Haley, if you want. It can hide your skin color."

She nodded, marveling at the color on his skin.

"Ava, could you take her to a free room? I have something that I need to discuss with Keiko. All of you, why don't you go and get some rest?"

He didn't have to tell them twice.

.:(SL):.

"The depths Erik would go astound me each and every time that I discover more about him," the professor said with a heavy expression.

"He experimented on her, Xavier. That beautiful little girl is broken now, probably unstable," Keiko said. "I can't understand what would bring him to do such a thing."

The professor breathed slowly, his mind in deep thought. The fire in the hearth danced in his eyes. "Power. He sought an army of mutants and wanted to test to see if he could grant humans powers. He did, but they were flawed. Cancerous." He looked out of the window at the night sky. "I hope that they get their cure."

Keiko smiled, thinking about the test tubes filled with the red substance. "It should work for them, and I hope it does. In some ways, I feel sympathy for them, because I doubt that they knew what Magneto was doing to them."

Charles looked at the rising moon, glistening in the sky. "Everyone has their strengths, and everyone has their flaws. Even a man like Erik Lensherr."

.:(SL):.

**I hope you enjoyed this side-story, although I wished that I could have gotten it done sooner. Sorry for the wait! If you haven't read it yet, the first chapter of season two of Redux has been posted as well! **


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